Take a Chance on Me
by hanabananana
Summary: Cheerio!Kurt and Nerd!Blaine based on the trend on tumblr. Kurt gets drunk at a party hosted by Blaine's older brother and the two end up getting more than friendly. The thing is, Kurt would never look at someone like Blaine in a million years.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and Happy New Year! I'm still working on 'Since we were Boys' but I took a little break over Christmas, the latest chapter is with my beta now so should be uploaded soon, just FYI!**  
><strong>This is something that came to me this morning and I really wanted to get it written down. I have a vague idea but I don't know where I'll go with it for certain, but if enough people like it, then I'll seriously consider putting more effort into getting something more substantial!<br>I hope you like it for now though!**

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><p>"Blaine! Aren't you going to come down?" Blaine heard his brother inquiring moments before he stepped into his bedroom, uninvited as usual. "The party's just getting started come on, it's Halloween! Liven up a little!"<p>

"Adam, you know parties aren't really my thing, honestly, I'll be fine up here all night. I have this paper to finish anyway," Blaine replied, not taking his eyes off the monitor he was fervently typing at despite his brother's presence.

"That's exactly the reason I want you to come down, seriously, you _really_ need some friends, man!" Blaine paused in his typing to throw a glare at Adam who stood, cross-armed in the doorway. "God, you're such a _nerd!_" Blaine smiled sarcastically in response before returning to his assignment.

"Adam, they're _your_ friends, not mine. I don't feel like spending the night with a house full of drunken college kids, thank you," Blaine commented as his fingers danced across the keyboard, the soft tapping accompanied by the pounding of the music that could be heard from downstairs.

"I dunno, word got out that I have a free house tonight and there are a _lot_ of people down there. I'm pretty sure I saw some kids from your school hanging around too." Blaine said nothing, if anything this only made his desire to go downstairs and join the party lessen. Adam seemed to catch on to this as he continued. "Hey, maybe if they see how cool and hard-core your older brother is, they might not treat you like such a loser," he finished patronisingly.

"Thank you, Adam," Blaine replied with emphasized finality. Adam got the message as he left in annoyance.

"No wonder nobody freakin' likes you," he muttered as he departed. Blaine stared at the empty doorway for several seconds before sighing and walking over to close it. Adam always left his door open despite how many times Blaine had asked him to close it on his way out. He knew his brother meant well, asking him to join in with the party. It had always been painfully clear that while Blaine succeeded remarkably in academics, Adam was the guy everyone was familiar with whenever anyone mentioned the Anderson clan. Adam, the funny, charming, outgoing, charismatic guy next to Blaine, the younger, quite, gay one who spent most of his time alone in his room. It wasn't difficult to see why people favoured his older brother.

They weren't too different in their appearances, yet Blaine's immaculately gelled hair and glasses made him easy to pick out in a crowd. As he sat alone in his room however, his hair unstuck from its helmet of product, he could pass as-well, normal

He could feel the obnoxiously loud beats of the bass vibrating his bedroom floor as he worked through his essay and despite the racket from the crowd of people below; he managed to finish his paper with ease a little after 10pm. He could write pages about Shakespeare's portrayal of women in his _sleep._

With little else to do, he settled on reading a book however as the night went on, the music only increased in volume, the chatter and laughter growing louder and louder as more guests arrived late. Blaine sighed to himself as he tried to take in the words but the music was at deafening levels, even from upstairs.

He took off his glasses, placing them on his bedside table as he eventually decided to venture into the pit of underage drinking to get himself a glass of water. Everyone would be too drunk to notice him by this point and that suited him well. He'd go directly to the kitchen, pour his glass then head straight back upstairs and try to sleep despite the tremendous noise.

He reddened at the site of two half-clothed bodies writhing on his parent's bed before walking briskly past, trying to burn the images from his mind. When he got downstairs, Blaine's jaw dropped at the sheer number of people in his house. It was packed solid with people in costumes dancing and drinking and screaming and his polite requests of '_excuse me'_ went unheard. He was eventually forced to push through the crowds as he scanned the room for his brother though he was nowhere to be seen.

He was halfway through the living room when a body was pushed forcefully into his own, causing him to stumble forward. A firm grip caught his arm however and he steadied himself.

"Sorry!" yelled a delicate yet masculine voice and Blaine turned to see the owner. Half of his face was covered with a white mask, the other painted with pale makeup. He was quite impressively dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. The boy giggled stupidly before hiccupping-he was also _very drunk_. Blaine smiled, nodding politely as he spun to continue his way to the kitchen however the boy's hand was still gripped on his arm and pulled him back again. "Dance with me!" he demanded, moving closer and swinging his hips seductively.

"No…thank you…I really have to…I'm not," Blaine stuttered, his face colouring red once again.

"Dance with me!" The Phantom repeated with considerably more force, snaking his hands around Blaine's waist as he struggled for an escape route, only to find he was trapped in the stranger's grasp. At least he hoped it was a stranger…even if those eyes looked hauntingly familiar through the mask of his costume.

The two danced awkwardly to the fast-tempo of the blaring music, the boy's movements were sloppy and over exaggerated while Blaine kept to himself, shuffling slightly to the beat. He _really_ hated parties.

"You're a _great_ dancer!" The drunk boy exclaimed and Blaine raised an eyebrow in response, wondering just how intoxicated he must be to honestly think that. "Seriously, you're really good! You could like…enter contetitions-compests-con…something…" he trailed off, looking confused.

"Competitions?" Blaine supplied, grinning a little.

"Yeah!"

"Thanks…I guess." Blaine offered a little nervously before deciding he should probably return with a compliment of some sort, just to be polite. "I like your costume." The boy's eyes lit up with glee as he tore away from Blaine and did a dramatic, yet wobbly, spin, his cape flaring up and catching on the bodies that were surrounding them.

"Thank you!" he said extremely enthusiastically.

"Phantom of the Opera is one of my favourite musicals," he continued, unsure why he was attempting small talk with a stupendously drunk person. The other's mouth dropped open.

"Oh my gosh, mine too, we have _so_ much in common!" he said in genuine shock, planting a hand against his own chest.

Blaine laughed nervously as the other resumed his dancing. A silence fell between them as Blaine began trying to think of an excuse to leave however before he could put any to use, he suddenly found himself being dragged away from the makeshift dance floor.

"I'm exhausted!" was the Phantom's reasoning as he led Blaine to the sofa and forced him to sit. He picked up one of the many red cups that littered the coffee table at random and took a swig. Blaine scrunched his nose in disgust, sure that it could belong to anyone. "So," the boy said "you like dancing, and _I_ like dancing, and you like Phantom of the Opera and _I_ like Phantom of the Opera." Blaine nodded mutely as the boy shuffled closer. "That's awesome," he continued in a low, steady voice, his hot breath tickling at Blaine's ear which passed through an array of different shades of red. "We should make out." He turned abruptly to see plump pink lips inching closer to his own.

"Wait wha-mmmph," was all that managed to escape when he was suddenly being kissed fiercely. He fell back from shock, their lips separating briefly before being reclaimed as a hand snuck behind his neck and began fondling his hair. Blaine sat, eyes wide and heart beating faster than what should be healthy as he allowed himself to be kissed. It was his first kiss, it was no surprise to him that neither a guy nor a girl had ever shown any type of interest in him but this kiss, despite being with a drunken teenager whom he'd met not ten minutes ago was more than he'd ever dared to hope for.

He kissed back, tentatively at first as he was unsure if he was even doing it right however he became a little more confident when he felt a gravelly moan from the other. Either he was a naturally good kisser or his partner was too drunk to care however it didn't matter because Blaine was kissing someone for the very first time and this someone was not only a boy but a boy whose first reaction of him hadn't been to toss his books to the floor.

The kiss deepened but things became clumsy when the Phantom's white mask got in the way and Blaine decided that he'd much rather feel the soft skin of this boy's face, not the plastic mask. He pulled away gently before reaching over to lift it from his face, mussing up his thick brown hair as he did did so. He tossed the plastic behind him before going in to resume the kiss when suddenly he _saw_

_No. Way._

"Kurt?" he exclaimed in shock, eyes wide and hands frozen in mid air.

"Yeah?" Kurt replied lazily, not noticing anything had changed. Blaine let out a soft whimper. No, this wasn't happening this couldn't be real.

He hated Kurt Hummel, hated him with a passion. He was on the cheerleading squad and had taken it upon himself to make Blaine's high school life a living hell. Blaine was fine with having next to no friends, he was okay with being even less popular than the lunch ladies. He _would_ be fine, that was, if Kurt wasn't around every corner with that sneer, that holier-than-thou look which he delivered to anyone he deemed a loser, including him and the other five members of the glee club which he supposed were probably his 'friends'. He could still feel the cold chill run down his spine from that time Kurt tossed the ice cold Slushie directly into his face just before math. He'd had to spend the whole period cleaning himself up in the bathroom.

But the thing he hated most about Kurt Hummel was that he was completely in love with him.

Because who wouldn't be? He was the single most gorgeous guy Blaine was sure he'd ever layed eyes upon. The way his hips moved so fluidly whenever he got the chance to watch him perform with the Cheerios never failed to send tingles throughout his entire body.

Blaine knew that he had had a crush on Kurt for far longer than he'd despised him. Back in middle school, before he had discovered his talent for cheerleading and his popularity had snowballed, Kurt had been in a similar position to him; shunned by the majority of their classmates. They'd eaten lunch together once or twice and Blaine had helped him with his history homework one time but that was the extent of their interaction.

"Why'djoo stop kissing me?" Kurt slurred, bringing Blaine out of his thoughts. He exhaled heavily. Blaine was smart, 100% on every quiz, A+ in every class he'd ever taken but he was book smart, not common sense smart which was why he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kurt's, picking up where they had left off. It still felt amazing despite him knowing who it was he was making out with, if anything that even made it all the more spectacular. Because _Kurt Hummel was making out with him_.

He had to wonder _why_ though. It was quite obvious that Kurt thought of Blaine as having less worth than the dirt beneath his feet. He couldn't find it in himself to care however as Kurt's tongue was suddenly _in his mouth._ He groaned, loudly before blushing prominently, did he really just do that? Then, suddenly Kurt was pressing in deeper, further, his hand pressed against Blaine's chest until he was lying on his back on the sofa and Kurt climbed on top of him sucking and nibbling at the flesh on his neck. Blaine's breathing grew course and heavy.

"K-Kurt…" he mumbled because it just felt so good and all of his senses were overwhelmed with everything that was Kurt. Kurt sat up and grinned at him slyly before stopping, seemingly to consider something.

"Wait," he whispered, out of breath. "What's your name?" he asked. Blaine's eyes widened. Of course, Kurt was too drunk to even realise who Blaine was. _That_ was why they were currently making out on his sofa. Blaine considered how he should reply before looking into Kurt's expectant eyes; they really were beautiful.

"Blaine," he mumbled, averting his gaze elsewhere but was more than surprised when Kurt nuzzled into his neck once more.

"That's a stupid name," he replied before lifting his head to place his lips back onto Blaine's.

Okay now he was _definitely_ confused.

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><p><strong>Reviews are like crack to me (:<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**I bring you chapter 2, hope you enjoy (:**

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><p>Blaine stared at the 10 digits he now had saved on his phone. Kurt's number. <em>Kurt Hummel's <em>cell phone number. He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened but in one night he had gone from Blaine, the nerd, to Blaine, the guy who gets to make out with Kurt Hummel the Cheerio. Granted Kurt probably still didn't _know_ that the guy whose face he was sucking was that of the guy who he had repeatedly tripped in the hallways between classes. He had been very enthusiastic the night before though. He had practically stolen Blaine's phone and saved his own number before sending himself a text from Blaine's phone. When he eventually stumbled to his feet in order to leave, he pressed his thumb and pinky clumsily against the side of his face, mouthing 'call me' in such a cliché manner that Blaine had to stifle his laughter.

He toyed with the idea of texting Kurt. The reckless side of him said do it. Kurt had clearly wanted him to the previous night and well…when else would he get a chance like this? However his brain new better, Kurt had been drunk, he had no idea what he was doing or who he was with and once he found out he'd likely be repulsed. After all, Blaine was just another glee club loser, right?

It was Sunday morning, Kurt would probably be sober by now but there was no chance that he was remotely functional considering how much he drank the night before. Blaine smiled at the thought of how hung over he probably was, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction because yeah, most of the time Kurt _was_ awful to him.

He knew it was unhealthy to have such an irrefutable crush on a guy who thought nothing of him. But he had always admired Kurt in a way, as infuriating as it was to have your crush literally crush you every day. Blaine grinned stupidly to himself as he had been all morning. _Kurt Hummel had kissed him_. But inside he knew that it was a one-time thing, he knew that it had meant nothing to Kurt and that he simply had to commit the whole experience to memory because it wasn't going to be happening again.

He was grateful for the experience though. It wasn't under the circumstances that he'd always told himself it would be but he'd finally got to feel what it was like kissing another boy, and with the most gorgeous boy in his entire school nonetheless. Last night was nothing but a learning experience for him and he was happy with that. At least, that's what he told himself.

Blaine spent the rest of his weekend going over the essay he had written the night before, developing some of the points he had already made, there was always room for improvement. Eventually, it was Monday and Blaine readied himself in the usual way; with a handful of hair gel and wholehearted breakfast. He drove himself to school, unsure how he should be feeling about seeing Kurt again. He knew that it should feel like any normal day; a day where he hadn't made out with Kurt Hummel at one of his brother's stupid parties…

He couldn't help but wonder however…what if Kurt _did_ remember and, though unlikely, was still interested? He entertained these thoughts until he arrived at McKinley High where he determinedly shook them from his mind. Today was just going to be like any other day.

He made it until just after second period before seeing Kurt, though he knew this would happen. Monday morning on rota 2 of the timetable meant Kurt had English and French on the other side of the school while Blaine had Physics then Geography. They then had Calculus together period three…not that he had it memorized or anything.

He sat in his usual seat and couldn't help but chance a glance upwards as Kurt entered followed shortly by Santana.

"Morning Kurt!" she said as they both took their seats in the row just behind Blaine who was trying his utmost not to eavesdrop. "Recovered yet?" she asked as Kurt laughed.

"Just about, but urgh, I was a mess yesterday, I had to tell my dad I had a fever just so he'd let me stay in bed all day, I can't _believe_ you let me drink that much!" he groaned.

"What am I? You're babysitter? Anyway, you should thank me, from what I saw, _someone_ was having a nice time." Blaine couldn't help but redden, was she…could she be talking about?

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot about that!" Kurt exclaimed with a laugh. "I can't even remember where I found him but God was he gorgeous or what?"

No…He couldn't be…it was impossible.

"Afraid I can't back you up on that, I didn't exactly have the best view of the guy since you were sprawled across him on the sofa all night, I did see that he had nice arms though."

Oh God they were actually talking about him. Blaine hid his head in his books as he tried to block them out but he just couldn't force himself stop listening; he _wanted_ to know exactly what Kurt thought…If nothing else then at least it gave him a self-esteem boost because _Kurt Hummel had actually just called him gorgeous_. Wow. That was certainly a first.

"Did you get his cell phone number?" Santana asked as the teacher arrived and demanded the class be quiet, it seemed however that Cheerios were exempt from any sort of orders from teachers as Santana and Kurt's chatting went unpunished, they did however speak in more hushed tones, making it much easier for Blaine to ignore them…Who was he kidding? Blaine was completely in tune with them still, happily ignoring Mr Carmen; it wasn't like it was essential he pay attention, he could easily catch up on his own.

"I think so," Blaine heard Kurt reply slowly as if small instances from his drunken night were slowly starting to come back to him, slotting into place like puzzle pieces, "But I couldn't find my cell anywhere this morning, so I have no idea."

"That's why you haven't been answering any of my calls," Santana mused, Kurt shrugged.

"I probably just dropped it in the backseat of your car or something, check for me?"

"Sure thing." They fell silent for a while so Blaine decided to actually focus on his calculus work. Mr Carmen had stopped talking by this point and was writing problems on the chalkboard which Blaine copied down somewhat idly, his mind still lingering elsewhere. It felt like a dream, these things just didn't happen to _him_. Even if he was destined to continue as a nobody in the eyes of Kurt, it still felt nice to be the anonymous figure that had caught his attention. Blaine smiled to himself; it sounded like something out of a cheesy rom-com.

"I do want to see him again though," he heard Kurt say softly, eyes widening as the words processed because _what?_ "Maybe I'll text him when I find my phone."

"Awww does little Hummel have a crush?" Santana teased and Kurt scoffed. Blaine sat with baited breath as he silently hoped.

"Of course not," Kurt said eventually, "I just…"

"Whatever, I've honestly lost interest in this conversation." Santana cut him off and Blaine internally cursed her for changing the subject as they discussed the latest scandals of McKinley high.

The rest of the day passed in a blur as Blaine frequently caught surreptitious glances at Kurt though unsurprisingly, Kurt didn't even take the slightest notice of him. Blaine wondered if he was being stupid. Kurt liked the guy from the party and though that technically _was_ Blaine, it was Blaine seen through the filtered eyes of a drunk person. The fact that Kurt hadn't realised it was him was because he hadn't been wearing his glasses at the time and his hair had been messy and ungelled. If he _really_ wanted to grab Kurt's attention then all he had to do was go to school looking like he had at the party. It was weird in a way, he sort of felt like Clark Kent. But no, he wouldn't do that, he admired Kurt and his crush was beginning to grow a little out of hand but he had morals and he didn't want to change himself to make a guy like him. He _liked_ his appearance; he looked smart, respectable even.

At the end of the day, Blaine arrived home to find Adam finishing up with his cleaning. Their parents were due home from their weekend away that night and it had taken him almost two days to get everything back to as it was.

"Thanks for your help by the way," his brother commented sarcastically as he grabbed a handful of black sacks.

"It was your party." Blaine bit back, following his brother through the kitchen and placing his bag on the breakfast table that was littered with leaning supplies. "Why should I have to clean up after you?"

"Because if my eyes don't deceive me, you were more than reaping the benefits from _my_ spectacular party. I didn't even hear a _Thank you_." Blaine paused as Adam looked down on him smugly.

"You…you saw that?" he asked feebly; Blaine was still a little uncomfortable when it came to discussing his sexuality with family members, even if he was more open about himself with his brother than his parents.

"Don't worry," Adam assured, clapping Blaine on the back, "I won't tell Mom and Dad. That would mean telling them about the party which would not end well for _either_ of us. Still, way to go little bro!" he said laughing before taking the trash bags out to his car. Blaine blushed in response as he left. The conversation had sparked his memory however as he pulled out his cell, remembering that Kurt mentioned he was going to text him.

Kurt was going to text him.

He stared at the wallpaper on his phone as if a message would come through just from sheer will power but instead he was alarmed to hear the doorbell instead. He made his way through the living room, phone in hand as he wondered if his parents had maybe come home early. Opening the door however, he was proven decidedly wrong when he was met with the face of the one and only Kurt Hummel, looking equally as surprised to see him. He was still in his Cheerio uniform and Blaine couldn't help but let his eyes wander down to the strip of skin showing just above his waistband and swallowed deeply; it was rare that he got to be this close to him, when he was sober at least.

"What are_ you_ doing here?" Kurt demanded promptly with an unkind sneer painted across his features.

"I…um…I live here?" Blaine replied uncertainly, his nerves illustrated clearly in his voice. Kurt scrutinized him, clearly trying to put two and two together.

"wait…that was your party?" he said in pure shock.

"My brother's" Blaine clarified, still wondering why Kurt was at his house. His face seemed to brighten in understanding.

"Ah, of course it was, why would _you_ throw a party?" Kurt asked rhetorically, chuckling to himself at the thought. Blaine frowned though he had to admit Kurt had a point. "Anyway, move, I need to see if I left my cell phone here," Kurt explained, pushing past Blaine and into the front room uninvited.

"By all means, come in," Blaine muttered to himself as he closed the door softly and followed after Kurt. "Adam!" he called and moments later his brother appeared looking annoyed though he smirked when he saw that Blaine had company. "Did you find a cell phone in your clean-up?" Blaine asked ignoring the look he was receiving and hoping that Kurt wouldn't notice it. Adam seemed to think before answering.

"All I found were two scarves, a pair of glasses, one shoe, and a bra if that helps?" Kurt sighed as Adam disappeared again.

"I don't know where else I could have left it," Kurt said to himself before snatching Blaine's own phone that he still had held in his hand. Before he could protest, he realised what Kurt was doing as he pressed his own number into the keypad before frowning at the screen. He turned to Blaine, eyeing him uncertainly. "Why is my number already saved on here?" he asked slowly, scanning him up and down. Blaine's eyes widened; he didn't have an answer for that… "What are you a stalker? God you're such a creep," he said with disgust before dialling his number anyway and listening intently. A ringing shortly sounded and Kurt marched towards the sofa where it seemed to be coming from. He shifted the cushion and sighed with relief when he finally found his phone. He snatched it up and looked questioningly at the screen before hanging up from Blaine's cell and tossing it onto the sofa. Blaine watched anxiously when Kurt turned towards him once again; his look of disgust had morphed into one of pure horror. "Why," he asked as slowly and as evenly as he could yet his voice still trembled slightly, "is your number not only saved on _my_ phone…but with a heart symbol and a smiley face next to it?"

Blaine swallowed because he _really_ didn't have an answer for that one. He opened his mouth, hoping the words would come but nothing did. Kurt's brows furrowed as he tried to calculate things in his head. "You were here on Saturday," he whispered. Blaine nodded. "And you…you and I…?" he question, gesturing between Blaine and himself. Blaine bit his lip and averted his gaze before nodding briefly once again. "Oh _God!_" Kurt exclaimed as he pressed a hand against his forehead. Blaine's heart plummeted, of course he knew Kurt's reaction would be something like this, it still didn't take out the sting of being so obviously rejected. He shifted awkwardly, unsure if he should say anything. "No, No, No!" Kurt groaned, turning his head in his hand dramatically and Blaine felt the words pierce right through him.

"You don't have to act so hard done by," Blaine grumbled in both annoyance and hurt. Kurt shot him a venomous glare.

"You took advantage of me!" He spat.

"You were the one who forced me to dance with you, you kissed _me!"_ Blaine argued, the hopes that had been soaring earlier had plummeted, crash landing somewhere in his stomach.

"I was drunk!" Kurt shouted back, stepping forward, "I had no idea what I was doing! You should have stopped me," he demanded. "Why _didn't_ you stop me? We hate each other…" he said much slower.

"I…I didn't even know it was you until I took off your mask, I…" Blaine stuttered, wondering how Kurt had suddenly become so calm. "And I don't hate you…" he trailed off; why he had said that?

"You can't tell _anyone_," Kurt warned in a low, threatening tone before perching on the edge of the sofa, his face a picture of despair. "Who am I kidding, of _course_ you'll tell people." Blaine eyed him curiously before deciding to join him on the couch, straightening the cushion before he sat.

"I won't," he assured softly though Kurt only scoffed in return.

"Bullshit. Why wouldn't you? I'm awful to you." Blaine considered this for a moment before replying.

"Because I'm not like you," he decided. "I don't make it my sole aim to hurt others. If you don't want me to mention this ever again then I won't." He wasn't sure how Kurt would react so he side-glanced him carefully, watching as his eyes widened before settling on his lap.

"Oh." They sat awkwardly for a moment until Kurt rose to his feet. "Well then," he remarked in a pitched tone, "I should go…thank you," Kurt said, waving his phone. "And thanks also for…yeah." Blaine's mouth twitched in a brief smile as he saw Kurt to the door.

"Don't mention it," Blaine sad sadly, not daring to look into Kurt's eyes.

Shutting the door once he'd left, Blaine exhaled deeply. He was a fool to think something could have happened between them.


	3. Chapter 3

**All I can say is _wow_! The response to this has been incredible! Thanks so much to all of you! I'll try my best to make this something worth reading! :D**

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><p>When Blaine went to school on Tuesday, nothing had changed. His life remained exactly the same. People still glared at him in the hallways and tried to trip him up and the rest of his peers gave him nothing but cold silence; just an average day in the life of Blaine Anderson.<p>

True to his word, Blaine had kept quiet about him and Kurt, not that anyone would _believe_ him if he did tell but even the slightest rumour could destroy Kurt's reputation. Not that he was worried about _that_ exactly.

Sitting in chemistry, feeling sombre, Blaine wondered if he'd ever get the chance to even speak to Kurt again. Honestly, he just wanted the boy to notice him. It was stupid and shallow and so, so cliché but he wasn't sure of he'd ever be able to get him off his mind.

Class was about to start and students were scurrying through the door to make it before the bell. Kurt was among them yet scurrying wasn't the best word to befit him, more like strolling arrogantly. Blaine hated how audacious he was.

Their eyes met for a brief moment as Kurt passed on his way to his seat. It wasn't the usual scowl however, there was something more, almost vulnerable, Blaine was certain of it.

Kurt was pleading with him.

Blaine held his gaze until he passed. He'd never seen Kurt this way before. From afar he was the epitome of confidence. When faced with him in the hallways, everything about him screamed 'get out of my way or I'll crush you' and sure enough, no one hassled him anymore. Not like they used to; not for being gay, not for being a cheerleader, somehow, people respected him and anyone who didn't simply never spoke up about it.

But this exposed version, Blaine was sure, few people were granted to see. It should have made him feel flattered, like Kurt was opening up to him in a way. Instead, it made him feel like shit.

Because he was the _reason_ behind it. Kurt was so repulsed by the fact that he had kissed Blaine and if that wasn't a kick to his already diminished self-esteem, he didn't know what was.

The bell rung just as Kurt had taken his seat and Mrs Harrison began discussing the topic for their assignment. There wasn't anything for Blaine to overhear whenever he was in Chemistry, Mrs Harrison was one of the few teachers who didn't let the Cheerios walk all over her, any talking in her class would result in detention despite how much Coach Sylvester campaigned against it. Blaine actually managed to pay attention; Chemistry had always been his favourite subject.

"Hold it right there you two!" Mrs Harrison warned Santana and Kurt towards the end of the lesson as everyone began pairing off for the assignment. Blaine tried not to glance in their direction as he and his usual lab partner began making arrangements for when they'd work. "The last time you two worked together, your project was two weeks late and a D standard at best, I want you to split up this time." The two groaned in protest however Mrs Harrison silenced them immediately. "Blaine, Justin, you two won't mind splitting either do you?" The answer was yes, he would mind, Blaine enjoyed working with Justin, despite the fact that he said as little as physically possible to him and nothing that wasn't related to the work, in fact, that suited him well. Instead, Blaine shook his head, no; there was no arguing with Mrs Harrison after all.

"I dib Justin!" Santana cried immediately, eyeing the boy with a sly smile as Kurt threw his head back in frustration, eyes scrunched tight. 'No!' he mouthed. The two pairs separated and Kurt slumped down in the seat besides Blaine, not even trying to be discreet about his sulking.

"The world hates me." He muttered. Blaine didn't know what to say to try and cheer him up but then again, he wasn't entirely sure he _wanted_ to cheer him up. He decided upon saying nothing until the bell finally rang. Kurt shot up out of his seat immediately as if being near Blaine was physically burning him, leaving Blaine to promptly follow after him.

"Wait, Kurt!" He called as Kurt was almost halfway down the hallway. He stopped before turning to face Blaine, face visibly blanched at being called out in the middle of school by _Blaine_. Luckily for him, however, few people were around to notice.

"_What?_" he hissed venomously and Blaine suddenly found himself strangely intimidated by Kurt. He'd had a lot of different feelings towards Kurt over the years but scared was never one of them.

"W…we need to split the work and arrange when we're going to meet so we can…" Kurt interrupted with an unkind laugh.

"No," he said firmly, taking several steps towards Blaine who wanted nothing more than to beg Mrs Harrison to let him work with Justin. "_You're_ going to do the work and _I'm_ going to take the credit."

That was it, Blaine had had enough. There simply was _not_ a decent human being within Kurt no matter how much he'd convinced himself otherwise and he wasn't going to let himself get walked all over, at least not by Kurt.

"You're being awfully demanding and _rude_ considering your entire reputation is in my hands," Blaine commented, attempting a smug smile though he was sure he better resembled a mouse standing up to a snake. Kurt's hard gaze faltered for less than a fraction of a second before he laughed, smiling widely.

"Are you blackmailing me?" he asked, sounding genuinely amused. Kurt glared at him unforgivingly and Blaine tried his utmost to hold it however he'd rather look directly into the sun rather than Kurt's blazing eyes. They were equally as blinding.

"No," he decided after some consideration. "But I _could_." Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion, clearly taken aback. "I'll be in the library after school," Blaine informed him before heading to his next class. All confidence he'd managed to scrap up draining quickly as he sighed a breath of relief that Kurt hadn't screamed at him or worse because _where had _that_ come from?_

Blaine wondered for the rest of the day whether Kurt would actually turn up. He'd never seen anyone stand up to him the way he just had, not since the bullying stopped, maybe he just needed someone to show him that he wasn't the boss? Or maybe it would just make him resent Blaine further, he honestly had no idea.

He had to come though…right? Blaine would never actually tell anyone so technically it wasn't blackmail but Kurt didn't know that. He'd convinced himself of this by the time he sat at an empty table that afternoon, books splayed out neatly as he waited.

And waited.

Kurt didn't show up. Blaine sat for a half hour before deciding this and considered just heading home but instead he decided he might as well get to work, considering he had twice as much to do that is. He was halfway through the first topic when something heavy landed in the seat next to him. He instinctively turned his head, eyes widening when he saw Kurt rummaging for something.

"You're here," he sputtered, unable to think of a better response. Kurt only scowled at him briefly before pulling out the pen he had been looking for and seating himself besides Blaine.

"Just tell me what you need me to do," he mumbled, clearly eager to get it over with.

"You're an hour late…"

"I had Cheerio practise, jeez, just tell me what to do."

Oh, of course he did, how had Blaine forgotten that?

"Sorry, um, I was just working on enthalpy changes, maybe you could start with bond enthalpy?" Blaine suggested.

"Whatever," Kurt muttered, as he opened one of the books Blaine had brought. Silence filled the space between them as Blaine suddenly found it difficult to focus on his work, the scratch of Kurt's pen grabbing his attention far more efficiently than his work. The bones in Kurt's hand flexed as his hand moved across the paper and Blaine found himself mesmerized. It didn't take long to realize however that Kurt wasn't actually writing anything but instead just scribbling absently, his forehead resting on his hand.

"Something wrong?" Blaine asked sympathetically, noticing the frustration that seemed to be evident on his face. Kurt looked up at him, startled.

"No," he said unkindly, "I'm fine." There was a pause in which Blaine returned his eyes to his own work before; "What exactly is enthalpy again?" Blaine's eyes widened at the fact that Kurt's tone was, for once, not bitter.

"Oh, it's heat energy that's transferred during a reaction," Blaine said reciting the definition automatically.

"Right," Kurt nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to his work. "So what's bond enthalpy?" Kurt asked, seemingly at a loss. Blaine returned his gaze, brows furrowed.

"It's the amount of energy needed to break a covalent bond. Do you…_ever_ pay attention in class?"

"No," Kurt stated plainly.

"So how exactly do you plan on _passing?_" Kurt sent him a poisonous look. "Coach Sylvester will deal with that, it's not like I'm failing in all of my classes." Blaine noticed how Kurt had suddenly become defensive. He'd always thought of him as being relatively intelligent, they shared several classes and his grades were always pretty high, especially considering the amount of class time he would spend talking.

"So it's just Chemistry?" Blaine inquired cautiously, afraid that a wrong turn may set off a landmine and cause Kurt to explode at him. He seemed to step correctly however as Kurt nodded sadly.

"It just doesn't make any sense to me."

"I could tutor you…if you want," Blaine suggested before his brain could catch up and wisely inform him _not_ to say what he just did. Little to his surprise, Kurt scoffed at the very idea.

"Right, like that's gonna happen," he said with a laugh. It was stupid, he knew, yet once he had the idea in his head, Blaine just had to run with it. Kurt was clearly failing chemistry and Blaine had nothing better to do.

"Why not? I'm serious, I don't mind helping you." Kurt gave him a look as if he were suggesting they elope.

"No!" he said incredulously, "I'm being forced to spend enough time with you as it is, and besides, the time you'd waste tutoring me might as well be used to finish this project so _I_ don't have to do anything," he finished in a breathless huff.

"Okay fine, you've made your point. Lest just get back to work." Blaine found his place again in the textbook and tried to refocus.

"Soo…" Kurt successfully managed to interrupt his train of thought once again, "bond enthalpy?" Blaine cocked an eyebrow, wanting to laugh but knowing that it was definitely not the time.

"I thought you didn't want my help?" Blaine reminded him and Kurt rolled his eyes dramatically.

"How else do you expect me to help you with this if I don't have a clue what it's about?" he asked, scowling. Blaine narrowed his eyes, utterly baffled at Kurt's thinking process

"But…you just said-"

"It's not like I want you to _tutor_ me," he practically shouted despite the fierce _shhhh_ he received from the librarian, "just show me this _one_ chapter so we can get this over with." Blaine couldn't help it, he allowed himself a smile, before shaking his head and shifting his chair closer to Kurt. He didn't care that Kurt only planned on doing the one of the six written sections; it was a start.

"Okay, this enthalpy stuff is quiet easy once you get it in your head," he began and soon enough, Blaine was surprised to find Kurt hanging on his every word, even taking down some notes as he spoke.

It was…different to say the least. Blaine rarely had anyone who would listen to him for longer than five minutes so to have not just _someone_ but _Kurt_ sit and willingly take in what he was saying, ask questions and nod in understanding was simply baffling. They got through bond enthalpy relatively quickly and Blaine couldn't help the swell of pride when Kurt answered some questions right. He struggled with some of the calculations but the theory came easily and even Kurt seemed surprised at how fast he was picking it up.

"You're doing great!" Blaine encouraged as Kurt seemed to struggle with one particular combustion reaction. Kurt sighed, hand pressed firmly against his forehead as he concentrated, scribbling numbers on his piece of paper before handing it to Blaine to look over.

"How's that?" Blaine quickly scanned through it before smiling brightly.

"-890.3 KJ mol-¹, yep that's perfect!" Kurt let out a sigh of relief and Blaine couldn't be happier. They'd spent a solid 30 minutes together with no snide remarks, no scowling and Blaine had an inkling that Kurt had actually enjoyed himself, making it all the more rewarding. "I think you've got it." Kurt smiled the same way he did every time something suddenly made sense to him because of Blaine.

"Thanks…for all your help," he said earnestly without a single shred of sarcasm. "You're a really good teacher." Blaine grinned as he could feel his ears reddening.

"And you're a great student…when you pay attention that is," he countered and was more than surprised when Kurt laughed (actually _laughed!) _in response. "Anyway, we should probably finish for today, Ms King wants to close up," he suggested, nodding subtly towards the impatient looking librarian.

They packed up their books and were soon walking towards the parking lot together. "So I'll see you in class?"

"I guess," Kurt replied absent-mindedly. "I'll, um, finish my part of the assignment at home."

"Right." Blaine wasn't sure how things had suddenly become awkward between them. One moment they were actually somewhat getting along and the next Kurt seemed to be struggling to string two words together.

"I'll see you then," Kurt said in a monotone as he departed, leaving Blaine at a loss as to whether he preferred this to the constant insults.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 is a little shitty and a lot late and I apologise... **

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><p>The next day Blaine awaited Kurt's arrival in chemistry. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting; they weren't friends after all, not even close. They kissed, that was all and Kurt clearly regretted it deeply, if the avoided glances and looks of disgust were anything to go by. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. Yes, Kurt was the most breathtakingly beautiful guy he'd ever seen but that was just on the outside; Kurt was rude, obnoxious and arrogant on top of a thousand other things. Was he really so shallow as to base his affection on looks alone? Blaine never thought he'd be that sort of person, as an underdog himself, he would usually be the last to judge a person on their exterior.<p>

Kurt arrived late (as usual) ignoring Blaine's presence (again, as usual) as he took his seat several rows behind.

Blaine really needed to just get Kurt out of his mind because it took him ten minutes to realise he hadn't been listening to a word Mrs Harrison was saying. He was brought out of his Kurt-infested day dreams by none other than the boy himself which didn't help his situation.

"It doesn't matter which acid and alkali are used, the reaction producing the enthalpy change is the same in both cases," Kurt stated with his usual air of self-importance, answering a question that Blaine hadn't even heard.

"Well, colour me impressed Mr Hummel, you actually read the text book," Mrs Harrison replied, shock clearly evident in her eyes.

Blaine turned to look behind where Kurt sat and attempted an encouraging smile however he was met only by his cold gaze and a dirty look from Santana. Blaine couldn't help but feel somewhat proud of himself regardless. Despite being met with nothing but Kurt's abrasiveness, he had somehow managed to get through to him enough to help him. Maybe he _should_ be a teacher, if it felt this good all the time.

Much to his ever growing surprise, Kurt continued to answer Mrs Harrison's questions throughout the lesson. Blaine noticed how he tried to make himself sound bored, as if chemistry was the simplest of things and anyone who didn't have as vast a hold on the subject as he did was far below him. Blaine knew just how far from the truth this was, he'd seen with his own eyes how defeated Kurt had looked when he had admitted how difficult he found the subject.

"Right again, Kurt, I guess Blaine is rubbing off on you!" Mrs Harrison commented followed by a snort from Santana. Kurt didn't answer any questions after that.

The bell rang, stirring the room into a flurry of movement and students rushing to leave for lunch. "Don't forget next lesson we'll start on the practical half of your assignments!" The teacher called however half the students had already left, including Kurt, leaving Blaine to chase after him yet again. Blaine's workload was becoming stressfully high and he needed Kurt to pull his weight.

"Kurt!" he greeted after finding him at his locker. Kurt's fiery glare at being addressed by Blaine took him by surprise as he stuttered, trying to remember what is was he wanted to say. "Um…the assignment? I wanted to ask-" He begun but was cut off by a heavy slam on his right side as he collided into the cold metal of the lockers. The shock sending his vision spiralling as he tried to blink away the stars that had gathered in his eyes. He caught Puck, a football jock, sneering as he continued on his way and Blaine clutched his now bruised shoulder tenderly, wincing in pain. His legs were numb but he managed to keep himself upright, it wasn't the first time he'd endured a locker slam, this was nothing new, but it didn't take out the pain shooting through every nerve in his shoulder or the burning shame as people stared, shocked but not with enough concern to actually help.

"I've gotta go," he mumbled solemnly, keeping his head down, eyes trained on the gum infested floor. He departed swiftly, missing the concern in Kurt's eyes as he did so.

"Blaine what happened?" Mercedes asked as he took a seat with the rest of New Directions. She placed a hand softly on his injured shoulder, not missing the way his brows furrowed at the touch.

"Just a locker slam, nothing out of the ordinary." And that was it, it _wasn't_ out of the ordinary, sure it hurt but he wouldn't usually get so downtrodden over it.

It was because it had happened while he was talking to Kurt. He wasn't just upset, he was _humiliated_. His pride hadn't been damaged this much since Kurt had tossed that slushie at him last year. Why did he have to care so much? Kurt was a bully, why did it bother him what he thought? Whatever progress he had made with the chemistry tutoring was evidently all made up in his head.

"I'm sorry, honey," Mercedes cooed sympathetically, the rest of the table giving looks of understanding; they all suffered the same treatment. There was only four others at the table but Blaine really did consider them his friends; his first friends. The five of them had joined the school's glee club when it had begun at the start of the month, he hadn't known any of them for much longer than that but they were people who didn't shove him or steal his homework and above all of that, they understood.

They weren't particularly close, after all they hadn't known each other for longer than three weeks or so, but they stuck together and from the look Mercedes was giving him, they were beginning to care for each other at least.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we really need to find more members to back me up vocally, you four just can't pull all of that weight on your own so I was thinking-"

"Can it Rachel, Can't you see Blaine's hurt?" Mercedes interjected, scowling across the table however this wasn't nearly enough to stop Rachel when she had an idea.

"All I'm saying is that with more members, we might actually be _good_, then people won't pick on us so much and Blaine wouldn't _be _hurt," she protested, folding her arms in defiance.

"As much as I really, _really _hate to say it," Artie said, "Rachel's right. But let's look on the realistic side, nobody is going to be joining glee and nobody is going to be thinking that we are _cool_ in any way ever. It's a fact." He shrugged as he finished, returning to his plate of fries. There were a few murmurs of agreement.

"I am _shocked_ that you have such little faith in me…in _us,_" she corrected with a shake of her head. "No one can dispute that I am amazing and with the right training you can all make great backup singers!" She exclaimed, thinking she had just given an inspirational speech but was met with only blank stares. "Mr Schuester said he was going to try and find us some guy members."

"Does this woman have an off switch?" Artie asked, poking her in the arm experimentally. This earned him a laugh from Blaine and even Rachel smiled when she saw that his mood had lifted slightly.

Whatever his brother had said, he was wrong; Blaine did have people he could call friends.

"Why do we need more _guy_ members anyway?" Tina questioned, "We have Blaine and Artie." Rachel looked between the two before choosing her words.

"No offense guys but…I need a male lead who can match me vocally-"

"Offense taken," Artie immediately cut in.

"It's just…Artie, your voice is fine but it doesn't quite…_match_ mine. And Blaine, I've barely heard you speak, never mind sing." Blaine shrugged in response, she had a point; he wasn't the most vocal member of the New Directions. Not that he _couldn't_ sing well -he liked to think he had an okay voice despite his only audience being his shower head and the mirror in his bedroom- he just preferred to blend into the background, whether it be socially or when he was performing, he would just rather not stand out.

* * *

><p>"Everyone, meet our newest member, Finn Hudson!" Mr Schue exclaimed later that afternoon in the choir room. Said boy stepped to the front nervously, looking completely uncomfortable and Blaine had a feeling it wasn't because of his oversized limbs; it was obvious he didn't want to be there.<p>

Before long, they were rehearsing summer nights in the auditorium and Finn looked downright terrified by Rachel, though that was the general reaction to anyone subjected to more than five minutes with her.

Rehearsals finished at four and Finn was quick to hurry home, or at least get away from anything related to singing and dancing. Blaine shifted the strap of his bag on his shoulder as he walked through the halls with Mercedes when he realised why, The football players had just got out of practise and were also headed home, probably wandering why Finn had missed practise that day.

It wasn't the football players that caught his attention however as the Cheerios had apparently finished their practise also. He tried not to look Kurt in the eye as he passed, which was usually an easy task but his eyes were trained on him intensely and he couldn't help but return the gaze.

It wasn't his usual sneer but more like a questioning look and when Kurt's eyes flickered to Blaine's right shoulder, he knew exactly what that look was; concern. Blaine's eyes widened in comprehension before subtly offering a brief nod with a twitch of a smile; yes, he was fine.

After arriving home Blaine prepared some of his books to get to work on his (weighted) half of the chemistry assignment. He pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket to check the time when he noticed a flashing message sign. Furrowing his brows he opened the message; he rarely got texts.

_From: Kurt Hummel_

_Sorry about Puck. What did you want to ask me today? _

Blaine gaped at the message as he tried to comprehend. Kurt had texted him? How did he even…?

It was with a jolt that the events of Adam's party came back to him, Kurt stealing his phone to type in his number, then two days later yelling at him for it. Blaine had assumed Kurt would have deleted his number, he'd considered it himself but that would mean deleting the last piece of evidence from that night. He'd thought that maybe it was creepy and going way beyond the boundary that Kurt had very clearly set between them but apparently Kurt had kept _his_ number. That had to mean something right?

Blaine shook the thoughts from his head, he really needed to stop over thinking _everything_.

It took him ten whole minutes to decide how to reply. Kurt's mood swings when it came to him were somewhat erratic; he could never tell what he was thinking or whether he would explode in a fit of anger.

_To: Kurt Hummel_

_Don't worry I'm used to it, I was just wondering if you were doing okay on the assignment? _

It wasn't what Blaine had originally intended to ask but he knew asking Kurt to do the work would only result in yet another tyrannical rant. Blaine tried to get started on his work but couldn't help but glance at his phone for a reply whenever his mind lost focus…which was a lot. Eventually, Blaine's phone vibrated with a reply.

_From: Kurt Hummel_

_Seriously, that's all? Yes I'm okay on the project. In fact I'm finished. I'm not an idiot._

Blaine clenched his jaw as he read it, well he was already mad so why the hell not?

_To: Kurt Hummel_

_Oh, well that's great, do you think you could make a start on the other two topics then? I'm kind of swamped here. _

Blaine's thumb hovered nervously over his phone before pressing the _send_ button, regretting it instantly. He didn't have to wait long for a reply however as his phone vibrated once again and he anxiously opened the message.

_From: Kurt Hummel_

_Very funny. _

Blaine sighed. It wasn't an explosion at least but he still had a truckload of work to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**posting this before I have to rush off hurry hurry hurry**

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><p>A week later and Blaine was ready to drop dead. With assignments and projects from almost every one of his teachers, he'd had trouble finding the time to sleep.<p>

On Wednesday, he arrived to chemistry with a solemn expression and placed his biased half of the written assignment on the desk before resting his heavy head in his hand for just five minutes before the lesson was supposed to start. He really needed to spend his nights sleeping rather than checking and double checking his work with a fine tooth comb to ensure it was of maximum quality.

Kurt strolled into the room not long after he did, placing his own three pages worth of work atop Blaine's significantly larger pile, smiling smugly as he took his seat beside him. They were required to work together for the practical half as well.

"Tired are we?" Kurt commented off-handedly as Blaine squeezed his eyes tight in annoyance.

"Please stop talking," Blaine mumbled, fighting desperately against his pounding head that Kurt was partially to blame for however Kurt clearly had no plans of leaving him be as he chuckled self-righteously.

"Well isn't _that_ rich, I've been trying to get rid of you all week and now _you're_ the one who wants _me_ to leave him alone?"

"Look, I didn't _ask _for us to be partnered together," Blaine argued back, finally beginning to lose his temper with Kurt, "and I definitely wasn't the one who got drunk and suggested we make ou-"

"_Shhh," _Kurt hissed ferociously, eyes wide with what seemed to be fear as he checked the room to see if anyone had heard. Blaine wasn't particularly loud however and thankfully the few others who were in the room were too busy fussing over their half-finished homework to notice their conversation.

"Why do you care so much about your reputation anyway?" Blaine asked incredulously, to him, it just didn't seem worth it to put so much effort into hiding yourself from everybody.

"You wouldn't understand," Kurt bit back with a sneer and what also looked like…sadness?

"No, I don't understand, why would you change who you are just be liked?"

"I'm _not_ changing myself because I would never even do…._that_, not with you anyway," he tried to justify but Blaine could feel his hesitation and uncertainty.

"No, I don't think-" Blaine began before Kurt cut him off

"Can you please just shut up now? I'm trying to be nice to you and you're making it really difficult." Blaine furrowed his brow in confusion.

"This is you being _nice.._?" he pondered but Kurt ignored him.

"I need a favour," he said reluctantly and Blaine raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "My dad found out about me not doing so great in chemistry and he's not happy about the whole arrangement the Cheerios have with Coach Sylvester about…failing grades," he began and Blaine could see where he was going. Of course his tutoring offer still stood but he wanted to hear Kurt ask for it. Maybe it was just so he could feel needed or appreciated or maybe it was merely so he could gloat, but he sat patiently, waiting for Kurt to actually ask for help. "That enthalpy stuff you taught me last week just made sense, I don't know what you did but I actually understood it so…If you still…I mean…" Blaine laughed softly shaking his head, it was obvious Kurt rarely asked others for help judging by the way he was drowning in his own words, he decided to put him out of his misery after all.

"You want me to tutor you?" he suggested, trying his best not to sound condescending. Kurt clenched his jaw and avoided Blaine's gaze before nodding slowly.

Really, was Blaine that different from Kurt then? Kurt put so much effort into his image so he would be liked by the _'popular'_ crowd and there Blaine was, doing everything to please Kurt, a person who constantly insulted him, who couldn't care less about him. Was he really only willing to help Kurt in the hopes that he might actually be _appreciated?_

"Of course I'll help you out," he confirmed with a short smile.

"Sorry I'm late, class," Mrs Harrison announced as she hurried into the classroom, breaking the conversation between the two and any train of thought Blaine had. She began outlining the practical assessment they'd be doing that day, Blaine taking notes and Kurt, unsurprisingly, sitting idly, staring at his hands.

"How's Friday for you?" Blaine asked as Mrs Harrison visited each table, collecting each pair's work. Kurt snorted in reply.

"Are you kidding? I have a life on Fridays." Blaine sighed.

"What about Thursday?"

"Cheerio Practice."

"Well what days _are_ you free?" Kurt thought for a moment before responding.

"Mondays and Wednesdays."

"My mom makes me go to her book club meetings on a Monday so I guess Wednesdays it is," Blaine decided before looking towards Kurt. "What?" he asked at the incredulous look Kurt was giving him.

"Book club? Wow it's like you're _trying_ to be a loser." Blaine tried to ignore the way his cheeks reddened, why did he have to mention _why_ he was busy on a Monday?

"So Wednesdays," he continued, hiding his embarrassment with a short cough as they were handed a tray of instruments they would use for their experiment.

"Wednesdays." Kurt repeated idly, clearly not looking forward to being tutored but knowing he didn't have a choice.

"Tonight?" Blaine asked as it was, in fact, a Wednesday.

"Whatever."

"Where?" and this was the first question that actually seemed to hold Kurt's attention. "The library closes at 4:30 so it will probably have to be one of our houses."

"You are _not_ coming to my place," Kurt demanded resolutely.

"Um…okay, so mine?" Kurt sighed before agreeing with a solemn nod. "great so come to my place after school today and we'll get started." Blaine said, wondering how quickly it will take for him to regret his offer of tutoring.

"Okay, you have a little under an hour to get this done, so I suggest you get to work." Mrs Harrison said above the chatter of the class, "if you're not finished by the end of the lesson, you'll have to work through lunch," and with that everyone got started. Predictably Blaine did most of the work however Kurt was surprisingly helpful, drawing out their table of result and copying down numbers for Blaine to process. He didn't do anything that required any actual thinking or knowledge, however Blaine appreciated the help all the same.

* * *

><p>Blaine rushed home at the end of the day, nervous that Kurt would be <em>in his house<em> within the next hour. Of course it wasn't the first time Kurt had been inside his home however this was the first time he had prior knowledge of him coming over, leaving him plenty of time to worry.

He had the house to himself; his parents were still at work and Adam was rarely home during the day. Everything was spotless as usual, he really had no reason to be nervous but that didn't stop him fidgeting as he tried to decided what to teach Kurt first.

Thankfully, his worry was short-lived as the doorbell rang and he busied himself with letting Kurt in. He went through the usual pleasantries, taking Kurt's coat, offering something to drink but was met with only a bemused look.

"Please don't treat me like a guest, I feel more like a prisoner," he said waving Blaine away and making his own way into the living room. Kurt noticed the necessary books waiting for them on the coffee table. He eyed the sofa wearily before glancing at Blaine.

"Can we not do it _here?_" he requested. Blaine gave him a quizzical look before realising; that was _the_ sofa and the last time he and Kurt were together on it…well, clearly Kurt didn't want to relive the memories.

"Sure," Blaine agreed before moving to the coffee table to collect the books. "I have a desk in my bedroom we can use."

Kurt sighed as he followed Blaine upstairs.

"Don't act like I'm forcing you to be here," Blaine challenged, quickly growing annoyed at Kurt's attitude, "You _asked_ me for help."

"Doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," Kurt retaliated, his icy glare easily winning against Blaine's as he passed him on the steps. "Which room is yours?"

"Second on the left," Blaine instructed as a brand new wave of insecurity flooded through him. Sure, Kurt had been in his house twice before but his _bedroom?_ He caught up with Kurt just as he was opening the door. Blaine expected a look of distaste or _something_ yet much to his surprise, Kurt didn't make a single comment.

He placed the books on the desk with a thud as he left to fetch another chair for the desk. When he returned Kurt was examining the display of trophies on his wall. "Kurt?" he said when he failed to see he had returned. Kurt spun his head, acknowledging Blaine's presence before placing the trophy in his hand to join the rest on the shelf.

"Polo? really?" Blaine shrugged in response, unable to think how else he could reply as Kurt dropped it and joined him.

Before long they were both seated, a little cramped, at Blaine's desk. Blaine was going through the basics first to make sure Kurt could grasp the more difficult sections more easily. His annoyance at Kurt quickly faded and was replaced by the same sense of satisfaction as the last time he had tutored Kurt and he understood his teachings; he wasn't nearly as hopeless at chemistry as he thought he was. They sped through the first two chapters of the text book quickly enough, but it was when Blaine began explaining some of the more challenging topics that he noticed Kurt was beginning to lose interest.

"Kurt…Kurt?" Blaine tested, trying to win back the other's attention. Kurt shook his head severing the gaze he had previously held that was quickly making Blaine feel particularly uncomfortable.

"What?" Kurt asked, clearly lost.

"Acids?" Blaine prompted, gesturing to the open book between them. Kurt ignored the book and continued to stare directly at him. Blaine fidgeted under the gaze, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and exposed.

"I just don't get it." Kurt finally said, without breaking eye contact. Blaine's own eyes found the book once more as he tried to think of the best way to explain.

"It's not that hard, just remember that-"

"Not _that_," Kurt interrupted softly, all of the usual venom in his voice somehow absent. "well, that doesn't make sense either but…" Kurt paused, floundering for the right words. Blaine's eyes widened expectantly. "How did I not know it was you…?"

"I…don't know," Blaine whispered in response, refusing to meet Kurt's expectant look. "It's not like we know each other that well though…" he suggested.

"It doesn't make sense, I know I was drunk but it's not like you could have looked _that_ different." Again Blaine had no answer so merely shrugged, wishing that Kurt could stop looking at him the way he was. Slowly, Kurt raised his hands to Blaine's face, pausing hesitantly before reaching for his glasses with both hands and peeling them away from his face. Blaine didn't protest as he wasn't entirely sure what Kurt was planning. He swallowed heavily as Kurt still refused to stop staring. Kurt placed the glasses on the abandoned chemistry books that lay open on the desk. Blaine blinked several times as he tried to adjust his eyes but needless to say without his glasses, everything before him blended together.

Suddenly Kurt brought his hands up again but this time they were directed higher; to his hair and Blaine yelped in pain as Kurt tugged.

"Ahh, what the…what are you _doing?_" he gasped, exasperated.

"Shut up, I'm testing something." Kurt continued to tug and pull, basically turning Blaine's hair into a mess as he pulled the gel free. Blaine, still utterly bewildered by the sudden change of events, sat and let Kurt get on with whatever he was trying to do. Eventually Kurt pulled away and wiped his sticky hands on Blaine's jeans. Blaine offered no protest, knowing it would be useless anyway. "Amazing," Kurt breathed and despite Blaine's lacking eyesight, he could tell that Kurt was still staring. "How can something so small make a person look so different?"

Blaine could guess at what he probably looked like and tried not to cringe at his scruffiness. Silence filled the space between them and for a moment, Blaine thought that Kurt was going to kiss him. They were so close, his breathing was heavy and was sure he could feel Kurt's own breath on his cheek. He wanted nothing more than to be able to look into Kurt's perfect eyes of which he was sure he'd never find a word to describe their colour however all he could see was a blur. The moment was quickly over as Kurt pulled himself away, leaving Blaine feeling empty without him.

"I think that's enough for today," Kurt decided, sounding breathless. Blaine ignored the way his heart dropped as he reached for his glasses, hating the distorted view of Kurt he had without them. Blaine stood and followed Kurt out, saying nothing as they descended the stairs together. He didn't miss the way Kurt kept his eyes down and held his arms around himself defensively. He'd never seen him so insecure.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Blaine asked, unable to think of anything else he could say but not wanting Kurt to leave without saying another word.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurt questioned, turning to face Blaine who blanched at the furious look he was receiving.

"Nothing, just…uhh."

"How many times do I have to prove this to you? We are _not_ friends. Whatever it was that happened at that stupid party means _nothing_. You tutoring me is _nothing_. So please just stop bothering me." Kurt looked close to tears as he fumed, Blaine wasn't sure of he should be annoyed or concerned. It didn't take long for Kurt to collect himself and he was out the door before Blaine could even consider stopping him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait for this one! Juggling two fics at once is more challenging than I thought!**

**hello to all my new readers, I'm amazed by how many story alerts I'm getting! I'm curious as to how you all found this fic! Let me know in a review! :D**

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><p>The door slammed heavily, leaving Blaine in the empty house feeling equally as hollow. Of course he knew they weren't <em>friends<em> but…he supposed wishful thinking had kept him from seeing the full picture. Kurt had kissed him because he was drunk and it was as simple as that, no underlying feelings had caused him to do it, it was merely the alcohol. But Blaine and his stupid naïve perception of people had led him to believe that it was something else.

How foolish of him.

Kurt was selfish and cruel and was using Blaine for his own means while he just took it. Blaine didn't even try to stand up for himself because he knew it would be fruitless. The best he could do would to just forget about him, forget about what they did. It wasn't as if they'd done _much_. People kissed at parties all the time right? It rarely means anything.

Blaine dragged his feet back upstairs to his bedroom; he had homework to finish. He began clearing away the chemistry books from his desk when he caught his reflection in the mirror just above his desk. His hair was still mussed from Kurt's _'experiment'_ and Blaine picked at the scruffy curls absently when an idea hit him.

Leaving the pile of books abandoned on his desk, Blaine turned to his bedside table, hastily pulling open the small drawers until he found what he was looking for. He turned the small white box in his hand, his parents had gotten him prescription contacts for events such as weddings and parties but he usually refused to wear them since he'd always been weary of getting things in his eyes. Returning to the mirror, he opened the box and pulled out the small bottles. He took a breath and bit his lip before taking his glasses off.

Putting in the lenses was a lot harder than Blaine anticipated. For what seemed like the hundredth time, he wiped away the stray tear from his watering eye and pulled at his lower eyelid with one hand as he tried to insert the lens with the other. Once again however his eye began blinking out of reflex before he could even get close to putting the lens in. He sighed in frustration.

"This would be much easier if I could actually see what I was doing," Blaine muttered to himself as he scowled at his blurred reflection. He clenched his eyes shut before blinking several times in succession, readying himself for another attempt.

Eventually, he managed to get them both in, the left eye being considerably more compliant than the right had been. He examined himself in the mirror, turning his head side to side to get a more complete view, He rarely saw himself clearly without glasses and he couldn't help but think how bare his face looked. His eyes looked far too small but at the same time the mix of orange and green seemed much more defined. Kurt was right; it was amazing how such a small change could make a big difference.

He couldn't make up his mind however; he _liked_ wearing his glasses, they characterized him in a way and without them, he just didn't feel like himself. But that was the point wasn't it? He wanted to change, to be noticed, by _Kurt_ in particular. It may be that the safest and most logical choice would be to forget but Blaine didn't want that. He just couldn't shake the memory of the way Kurt looked at him as he was taking off his glasses earlier that day, of pure awe and curiosity and riddled with uncertainty. He'd never seen him look that way before and he couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to Kurt. Underneath the scowls and the smugness could there be more to him? It was difficult to believe that there wasn't after the way he had left that afternoon, he'd looked nothing but insecure as he had clasped his arms around himself, holding himself together until he had finally snapped at Blaine. There just _had_ to be more to it than that.

Deciding that the contacts were a good idea, Blaine turned to his closet, pulling out a black sack and emptying the contents onto the spotless carpet of his bedroom. Hand-me-downs from Adam spilled over the floor. It wasn't that his family couldn't afford clothing for Blaine, far from it however, but Adam had always insisted on passing his old clothes onto Blaine in the hopes that he would _'ditch the dorky sweater and bowtie combinations'. _He hadn't and the second-hand clothes merely accumulated in the tatty black sack and remained hidden in Blaine's closet.

He rummaged through the pile, finally having a use for them. Blaine wasn't a fashion expert, not in the slightest, and he had no idea what he was even looking for, in the end he settled on a combination he remembered seeing his brother wear once and tried it on. He tugged on a plain white V-neck and pulled on the pair of red pants he'd picked out, they were slightly baggy but they didn't look too bad. Finally he shrugged on a grey hooded jacket and inspected the ensemble in his full-length mirror.

Wow.

With the contacts and the gel-free hair and his new outfit, Blaine didn't even recognise himself, he looked like a completely different person.

He felt ready for tomorrow.

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><p>The next day Blaine dressed and put in his contacts (with a lot less drama than the night before) before setting to work on his hair. He didn't want to have it plastered to his head like he normally would but it definitely needed some form of styling. He borrowed his mother's hairspray, taming it slightly and flattening the odd curl that inevitable stuck up at the wrong angle.<p>

He stared in the mirror, picking at it, ever the perfectionist. As a fashion-illiterate, he couldn't quite tell if it looked good or just messy. Kurt seemed to think it was an improvement to his usual style so he decided that it was good enough.

Weary of his parents-and god forbid his _brother-_seeing his new look, Blaine snuck downstairs as quietly as he could manage and left for school earlier than normal. He sat in his car, hesitating before starting the ignition. If he was too self-conscious to let his parents see him then how the hell did he expect to walk around school as he was for the whole day? He briefly considered just going back inside to change but he could already see his parents beginning to leave through the front window and knew that of he went inside then they would definitely see him.

He could do this, all he needed was confidence.

Blaine clenched his jaw as he walked through the doors of McKinley high that morning, he could feel the stares on him and see the barely concealed whispers between students.

His heart was on his throat and Blaine found himself swallowing incessantly. Much to his shock the looks he received weren't poisonous as he was expecting, they were…intrigued, curious, and some even hopeful. A lot of girls held his gaze for longer than they would usually dare for fear of being associated with him, some even smiled at him. It was all so bizarre.

Confidence wasn't something you could just summon, it needs to be built up and the more Blaine realized that the looks weren't malicious, the more confident he began to feel in himself. For once in his life he didn't feel like a nobody.

He saw Kurt with a group of cheerleaders as they strolled by. The girls glanced at him with interest as they passed but Blaine had eyes for only Kurt.

Kurt who looked so stunned you'd think he'd seen a ghost. Blaine struggled to hide his smug smile and veered his gaze away from Kurt, he needed to look aloof.

It was different in classes though; the looks were more questioning and confused so Blaine merely shrugged them away.

By lunch, Blaine felt great. He sat with the glee club (minus Finn) at their usual table and he was greeted by an orchestra of questions before he'd even pulled his chair out. He took his seat, more than a little stunned when they continued to chatter over each other in a fight for his attention, they were surprisingly loud considering there were just four of them.

"Who are you and what did you do with Blaine?"

"What on earth brought this on?"

"Your hair is curly?"

"W-w-w-what happened?"

"Boy, who are you trying to impress?"

"Oh my gosh do you _like_ someone?"

"Blaine _say _something!"

He laughed as they stumbled over each other, he'd been doing that a lot today, laughing, must be a confidence thing he thought.

"I just felt like a change," he told four different pairs of questioning eyes as he shrugged.

"Pretty big change if you ask me," Mercedes scoffed, "uh uh, no way, there's something you're not telling us." And Mercedes was right, he hadn't told them a thing about Kurt because he told himself that he was an idiot on enough occasions, he didn't need them telling him as well. Blaine simply shrugged again, hoping they wouldn't notice his nerves. "Oh _please, _in the space of one week, Handsome McFootball-Pants joins glee, Rachel's skirts get shorter and you change your whole look and you're telling me it's all coincidence?"

"Woah woah, this has nothing to do with _Finn!_" Blaine stammered incredulously because…No.

"I don't buy it, something is going on," Mercedes determined.

"Yeah well you're wrong," Blaine bit back.

"It's n-not like we d-d-don't _like_ your new look," Tina encouraged.

"You look fantastic Blaine but if you're pursuing Finn then as your friend, I kindly ask you to step back and-"

"Guys! I promise, it's not Finn," Blaine said, laughing. Rachel seemed to sigh in relief while Mercedes continued to eye him curiously. "It's _no one,_" he said directly to her.

"Don't worry, I'll weasel it out of you sooner or later," she said confidently however soon enough the subject was forgotten.

By the end of the day, Blaine felt great, if he'd have known what a difference his appearance made to his school life then he'd have listened to his brother months ago. Was he being shallow? Yes probably but if it made high school just that little bit more bearable then where was the problem?

He was on his way to glee club when he saw Kurt walking purposefully towards him, his gaze as cold and solid as stone. Without even a pause, he gripped Blaine's arm firmly and forced him into the closest empty classroom. Although taken by surprise, Blaine allowed Kurt to take direction wordlessly.

Once the door was firmly and loudly slammed shut, Kurt turned on Blaine with a vicious scowl and Blaine knew that a single wrong move would set him off like a volcano.

"Stop it," Kurt hissed aggressively as Blaine perched himself on the edge of one of the empty desks.

"Stop what?" he questioned innocently, too innocently and Kurt's eyes blazed.

"Just _stop it_." Blaine shrugged as he folded his arms across his chest. "Oh come _on,_ you've been pining over me like some sort of love sick puppy for the last two weeks and it's getting annoying. And now you come to school looking like _this?_" he gestured towards Blaine vaguely.

"Who says this has anything to do with you?" Blaine asked with a smirk and wow, he'd never been this cocky before. And that's when Kurt lost it. He rubbed both hands against his temples breathing in angry, shaky puffs.

"Stop it," He growled but his voice broke before the end, "Please." Blaine narrowed his gaze, there it was again, Kurt's vulnerability. Why did Kurt only ever show this side of him around Blaine? Was there something more to it or was Blaine just being arrogant enough to think he actually had an effect on Kurt? "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I like you, Kurt," Blaine answered honestly and the flicker in Kurt's eyes was so minute that he had to wonder if he imagined it.

"No. No, you're supposed to hate me, _why don't you hate me?"_ Kurt almost screamed in reply. Taken by surprise, Blaine's eyes widened as he tried to think of something, _anything_ to reply, to calm Kurt down since he looked close to tears by that point. He sighed shakily before replying as truthfully as he could.

"I tried…but I guess I just couldn't. I _can't_ hate you,"

"Well try harder," Kurt whispered.

"Kurt-"

"JUST HATE ME, IT'S EASY."

Silence filled the room thick and heavy. Tears were definitely beginning to pool in Kurt's eyes and Blaine found himself mesmerized by them. He watched in solitude as they gleamed against the overly bright classroom lights until the finally spilled down his face. They were gone an instant after they fell however as Kurt wiped them away furiously and Blaine had to force himself to remember why they were there in the first place.

"What do you mean it's easy?" he asked softly, rising from the desk.

"I'm awful to you," Kurt said surprisingly firm, "and I'm awful to you on purpose."

"Why…"

"Because I want you to _leave. Me. Alone._ So I kissed you at that fucking party, who cares? It doesn't mean that you're special, it just means that I was drunk and out of my freakin' mind, okay?" Blaine couldn't deny that that stung but he wasn't going to back down, not now.

"If it's no big deal, then why are you so terrified of people finding out?" He asked calmly, "I kept my word you know, I haven't told a soul." This seemed to catch Kurt off guard as his eyes widened, though he soon collected himself.

"I don't want to live with the _embarrassment_," he scoffed. Blaine knew that he was just trying to insult him and he wasn't going to let it get to him anymore.

"I just want to get to know you, the real you."

"This _is_ the real me, don't try and psychoanalyze me. I'm an asshole on the outside, and I'm an asshole on the inside."

"I don't believe that."

"You don't even _know_ me."

"I know that I like you," Blaine said, stepping forward as Kurt simultaneously took a step back.

"Why do you keep saying that," Kurt whispered defensively.

"Because it's true, Kurt, I know I'm probably being stupid and naïve and you're _way _of my league but…I wanna be with you," Blaine confessed, shocked at how shaky his voice sounded. He couldn't quite determine whether Kurt looked like he was about to run or punch him in the face yet Blaine was relieved when he did neither and silence took over once more.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kurt finally responded after what felt like an hour. "We live in Lima, two guys can't just _be_ together here." Kurt said bitterly. Blaine sighed, of course Kurt wouldn't…wait, Kurt didn't say he didn't like the idea, all he did was mention their homophobic town. Blaine looked up hopefully.

"Of course they can, _we _can. We're both gay and nobody here at school says anything about it…" Blaine tried to justify and Kurt actually laughed in his face.

"Blaine, no one says anything to me because I'm on the Cheerios, no one says anything to _you_ because, no offense, but most of the kids at this school don't even know you exist. Actually, strike that, offense intended." And just like that, Kurt was back to his smirking self again. Blaine frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly. He wasn't popular, he knew that, but people surely _knew _who he was, right?

"You hardly get bullied at all, a few names and a shove here and there, and most of that's from me, but somehow you manage to largely slip under the radar. At least you did until…_this_. People will notice you now and not in a good way." Blaine folded his arms once again as he studied Kurt, he didn't look angry any more, in fact the closest emotion he could think of to place him was…concern.

"Why do you care?"

Shock, confusion, defence. Kurt was an open book, his eyes were the key. Everything about Kurt's face was usually passive and blank but his eyes were so emotive and Blaine wondered if Kurt even knew the extent of it. The connection was severed when Kurt looked away and held his arms across himself again, defensive again.

"I know what it's like…to get bullied for being gay," he admitted

"If you know what it's like then why do you do it to me?" Blaine asked, he tried to keep the accusing tone out of his voice.

"I don't bully you because your _gay_, idiot," Kurt snapped though he didn't seem to have it in him to get half as angry as he would normally around Blaine. He looked exhausted.

"Bullying is bullying, no matter what the reason."

"Like I said, I'm an asshole."

"I don't think you are," he said softly and Kurt scoffed in reply. "Okay, maybe a little," Blaine finished with a laugh, taking another step forward and daring to brush his fingers against Kurt's. When he didn't pull away, Blaine surrounded his whole hand with his own, clasping the shaky fingers, rubbing them softly with his thumb. They were so close, closer than they had been the night before when Blaine felt certain Kurt would kiss him. He smiled gently but Kurt's face remained unreadable, even his eyes seemed to have closed off.

Without even pausing to think about it, Blaine went with his heart and closed the miniscule gap between them, his lips met Kurt's softly at first, teasing as they brushed together. When Kurt didn't protest he pressed harder, locking them both together as he raised his hand to cup Kurt's cheek affectionately.

And Kurt kissed back. Blaine could feel his mouth moving ever so slightly against his, he could taste the vibrations as Kurt let out a tiny whimper and feel his hand squeezing back against his own. It was bliss. It was a lot less than their first kiss but at the same time so much _more_.

Eventually, Blaine broke contact but they stayed closed breathing in each other until Kurt pulled away, yanking his hand out of Blaine's and leaving it feeling strangely lacking. He looked to the door in clear panic, checking that nobody saw before turning back to Blaine. He expecting him to be furious but once again, Kurt's face was blank, expressionless. Except for his eyes of course, his eyes looked terrified. Blaine had nothing to say so stepped back to lean against the desk. The distance between them was only a few feet but it suddenly felt like miles.

"Confident are we?" Kurt said coldly and Blaine shrugged.

"A change of clothes can do a lot," he said smirking.

"I don't like it," Kurt replied bluntly, cocking his head to the side. Blaine's face fell as Kurt's walls were put up again. "This confidence just makes you arrogant and obnoxious."

"Well apparently, this is the only way I can get your attention," Blaine countered.

"It's not _you_," Kurt replied earnestly before adjusting his bag strap on his shoulder and turning to leave. He hesitated at the door until looking over his shoulder to Blaine who slouched against the desk, his head down. "You don't want to turn into me." Blaine narrowed his eyes wondering what exactly Kurt's angle was. "Oh and Blaine," he said as an afterthought, "don't kiss me." With that, he left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we go! chapter 7! :D**

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><p>As much as he really, <em>really,<em> hated to say it, Kurt was right. The next day when Blaine strolled through the halls of McKinley on the painfully monotonous route to his locker, he could feel them; the stares. Not the same as the day before however, those were looks of intrigue and curiosity, now it was contempt and mockery. People wondering who the hell this short-ass kid with glasses and a stupidly colourful bowtie thought he was, and other's finally realising that him and the suave, handsome kid from yesterday was actually one and the same.

Blaine had run back to his usual attire after his confrontation with Kurt, tail behind his legs. Who was he kidding? That wasn't who he was and he'd suddenly felt the sting of shame burn through him as he realised he had done exactly what he promised himself he would never do.

He'd put himself on the map now, he'd been noticed. And like Kurt had said, definitely not in a good way.

Before he had even made it to his locker, he had been shoved, tripped twice and he couldn't count the number of times the names _'nerd', 'dweeb' _and _'loser'_ were aimed at him.

He could tell it was going to be a long day.

And much to his dismay, he was proved decidedly correct when all of a sudden the only information his brain seemed able to process was _holy crap, cold!_

"You think you're such a _cool_ guy? Now your face matches your attitude, nerd." Blaine blinked painfully and sputtered, spitting red slushie everywhere as he hunched over and tried to rid the ice from his eyes. It was sticky and freezing and stained his vision red, his eyes burning from the syrup as it seeped under his eyelids. He managed to wipe enough away to be able to open his eye just a fraction to see the culprit as he sauntered away, high fiving his buddies. He also saw Kurt rolling his eyes as he walked by, leaving Blaine dripping alone in the near-empty hallway.

He breathed in shakily before heaving a heavy sigh, collecting the things he had dropped, careful not to stain them with slushie as he blindly tried to make his way to the nearest bathroom. He dropped his belongings, scattering them across the tiled floor before leaning over the sink, gripping the ceramic basin tightly with both hands. Squeezing his stinging eyes as tight as possible, Blaine attempted to collect his thoughts and think of what he needed to do. He had been slushied once before but he had had Tina with him the previous time, making the clean up somewhat easier.

Now, Blaine was alone, shivering and blind and the only thing he could think about was the growing need to get the red syrup out of his eyes because _damn that stings._ He removed his glasses-they hadn't acted as much of a shield-and rubbed hastily, splashing water in his eyes until he could open them both without too much pain. His reflection was blurry without his glasses and doubly so with his eyes watering over but he could just about make out the shape of his reflection. His shirt was ruined, that much he could tell and his hair was stiff and sticky, washing it was going to be a nightmare.

Blaine was vaguely aware of the bathroom door swinging open and he glanced to the side, only to be faced with a distorted figure.

"Hey," the shape said and Blaine immediately recognised the voice. What was Kurt doing here?

"What do you want?" Blaine asked, his voice betraying him as he tried to stay proud. He turned back to the sink, splashing more water in his face.

"I…came to help you," Kurt muttered. He shifted on his feet, not moving any closer.

"Right, _now_ you're deciding to help me-"

"Blaine-"

"Of course you wouldn't be caught dead helping me out in the hallway where God forbid someone might see you, right? No, instead you just walked away," Blaine accused turning to face Kurt despite the fact that he could barely see anything. Where was this coming from? Blaine rarely lost his temper.

"I went to home-ec to get you a towel, asshole," Kurt spat, tossing the towel towards Blaine angrily.

"Oh…" he mumbled, catching the towel clumsily. "Thanks."

A heavy silence hung between them as Blaine began cleansing his face again. He was aware that Kurt was still there but he was too angry to be self-conscious.

"You're right though," Blaine heard Kurt whisper after several minutes of nothing but the sound of the faucet running to fill the silence. "I didn't want to help you…out there. Well…I _did_ but, I couldn't," Kurt confessed, ringing his hands nervously. _Nervously?_

"And what exactly was stopping you," Blaine demanded, trying his utmost to stay bitter. He couldn't break down, not with Kurt here.

"Don't do this, you know why…"

"Because you're scared?" Kurt fidgeted uncomfortably, saying nothing. "You're scared _they'll_ see you associating with someone like me?" Blaine could see Kurt swallowing as he kept his eyes trained on the floor.

"It's nothing personal, it's just that…they…" he stuttered, and for the first time, Blaine was surprised to see him actually looking guilty.

"Nothing personal?" Blaine cut in, "was it personal when _you_ tossed that slushie in my face last year?" Kurt visibly flinched when Blaine brought up the memory.

"I was just trying to fit in…" he replied solemnly.

"At my expense."

"Well can you blame me? It's all about survival of the fittest at this goddamn school and do you think I really want to put up with what you do every single day?"

"Kurt-"

"If I wasn't on the Cheerios, they'd rip me apart," Kurt finished sadly. "Look can we please not argue? I'm sick of every conversation we have being a fight," he pleaded.

"Sure," Blaine agreed softly as Kurt shifted on his feet again. He had to wonder where this nervous and shy Kurt had come from and if it were possible for him to stick around.

"Do you…do you need any help…?" he asked after a moment's silence. Blaine looked up from the sink, smiling gratefully before nodding and putting his glasses back on so he could actually see. Kurt suddenly sprang into action, dragging a stool from the corner of the bathroom pushing Blaine to sit. "Lean back," he instructed, cupping some warm water in his hand and tipping it onto Blaine sticky curls. When his hair was thoroughly soaked, Kurt began running his fingers through it softly, pulling apart the knots that had formed with little protest from Blaine.

"Why do I feel like you've done this before?" Blaine asked, surprised at how smoothly Kurt was washing his hair; he'd been expecting him to yank the tangled strands free from the sticky syrup but instead he found the whole thing incredible therapeutic. Kurt chuckled in reply.

"I used to play hairdresser as a kid and wash my mom's hair a lot, though I never had to wash slushie out of hers. Wow this stuff gets everywhere," he commented.

"Mhmm, tell me about it. Worse when it gets in your eyes though."

"I bet."

Blaine blinked his eyes open, looking up to see Kurt's brows furrowed in concentration as he worked through the tangles.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I never used to wear glasses before you slushied me…" He could feel Kurt's hands freeze the moment he said it.

"What," he whispered and his tone sounded so terrified that Blaine considered if maybe this was a bad idea. "_Blaine?_" Kurt begged, kneeling down beside him and gripping his hand almost painfully tight.

"Scratched my cornea pretty severely, mucked up my vision…" he shrugged. Kurt's mouth opened in horror, tears welling in his eyes.

"Oh my _God,_ Blaine I'm so sorry," Kurt whimpered, rubbing his thumb comfortingly over his hand, " I never meant for…" Blaine couldn't help but smirk, causing Kurt to freeze once again, his entire expression shifting in an instant.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" he said laughing though Kurt looked considerably less amused.

"You _asshole!_" He screamed, punching Blaine in the arm with enough force to cause Blaine to cry out despite his incessant laughter. "I was so scared! Urgh I can't believe you! That is so not funny."

"Consider it payback," Blaine said, shoulders still jerking from laughter. Kurt face was hard however, clearly not finding it the least bit funny. "Sorry," Blaine said though his seemingly permanent smirk didn't convince Kurt, who stood and resumed washing Blaine's hair. He didn't take quite as much care as before however.

"Jerk," he muttered, tugging at one particularly stubborn knot. "You're not funny," Kurt said again though Blaine could see he wasn't nearly as angry as he claimed to be if the hint of a smile was to be believed.

"Come on!" Blaine begged, he leaned back further to see Kurt's face and smiled brightly as he poked him playfully.

"Stop!" Kurt demanded, slapping his hand away but he couldn't hide the obvious giggle as he did so. "I'm mad at you!" he proclaimed, splashing water onto Blaine face, causing him to screw his eyes shut.

"Ahh! Now I'm having flashbacks, Kurt please no, don't throw the slushie!" He shielded his face in mock terror as Kurt splashed him with more water.

"Stop it!" Kurt begged again though by this point he wasn't even trying to hide his laughter as he soaked Blaine.

Eventually they collapsed in a fit of giggles on the tiled floor, Blaine dripping with water and Kurt seemingly satisfied after Blaine's prank as he leaned his head on the latter's dampened shoulder. They were both already late for first period so neither bothered to attend at all.

"I'm all wet," Blaine moaned, picking at the shirt that was clinging to his skin.

"I brought you a change of clothes, they're in my bag," Kurt said as he reached to retrieve his satchel, Blaine missing the comfort of Kurt resting against him. He furrowed his brows as Kurt pulled out the clothes.

"Why do you-"

"I brought them to change into after Cheerio practice, but I think you need them more than I do," he explained, handing the folded clothes to Blaine who smiled gratefully.

"You're not worried someone might see me wearing your clothes and ask questions?" Blaine queried but Kurt just waved his concern away.

"Most of the kids here have only seen me in my Cheerio uniform, they won't notice." It was then that Blaine realised he was included in those 'most kids' as it occurred to him that he'd only seen Kurt out of his uniform once since he'd joined the Cheerios and even then he'd been dressed in a costume so that didn't really count. He stared down at the clothes he'd been given unfolding them carefully; a pair of jeans and a grey sweater. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked, "They should fit, you're not _that_ much smaller than me." Blaine shook his head.

"No it's…it's just I imagined you to have more of a fashion sense…" he murmured.

"I see how it is Mr Ungrateful," he exclaimed reaching for the clothes to take them back.

"No, no, no, the clothes are fine, really, thank you. They're just not what I imagined_ you_ to wear. Somehow you've always struck me as a _Fabulous Gay_," Blaine said, adding a flourish with his hands to emphasise his point. They stared at each other for all of three seconds before Kurt burst into yet another fit of laughter.

"Wow, stereotype much?" he accused laughing.

"So you're not fabulous?" Blaine asked with mock disappointment.

"Of course," Kurt replied with a wave of his hand before turning serious, "I just don't want to draw any more attention to myself than I already do. I know that the guys on the football team and the hockey team and whatever are _begging _to torture me. If it wasn't for this cheerleading uniform and the rest of the girls on the squad looking out for me, I'd be public enemy number one. Pathetic, right?" Kurt said sadly, Blaine answered with an earnest shake of his head.

"It's not pathetic. _They're_ the pathetic ones." Kurt smiled in response as the two fell into silence. It was comfortable rather than awkward as they held each other's gaze. Blaine's eyes inevitably drifted to Kurt's lips, slightly parted and drawn into a ghost of a smile. He withdrew a shaky breath, inching closer as his skin crawled with the desire to close the barely there gap between them. He could see Kurt swallow as he too moved closer. Almost there, Kurt's lips were slightly chapped from where he'd clearly been biting them and Blaine wanted nothing more than to feel them against his own. He finally surged forward, crossing the last inch or so between them only for his lips to crash against the smooth skin of Kurt's cheek.

Closing his eyes, he let out the breath he was holding in frustration as his head dropped to Kurt's shoulder. His nose nuzzled into his his neck pressingly as he whimpered in longing. Kurt's fingers found their way into Blaine's and he squeezed comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," Kurt mumbled. "I can't."

"Why?" Blaine begged.

"You know why." Silence took over once more and Blaine wished more than anything that things could be different, their intertwined fingers gently fondling each other.

"Do you like me?" Blaine finally asked awaiting Kurt's answer with baited breath.

"I'm sorry I kissed you…at that party," Kurt said instead, deflecting the question. Blaine sighed, wondering if he'd ever get a straight answer out of Kurt.

"I'm not," he answered instead, "even if you think it was a mistake I won't regret it. You probably think I'm such a loser for this but that was actually my first kiss. And even if…things between us aren't exactly what I want them to be, at least I get you as a friend out of all of this, right?" Kurt's hesitation at the mention of friends was enough of an answer as Blaine's face fell miserably. "Oh…"

"Blaine-"

"No, I get it, you can't even be my friend, I understand," he said, attempting to be firm though it was difficult when he was choking back the urge to sob. "You've got your damn reputation to think of."

"Blaine, I _want_ to be you're friend, I want…I want-"

"I think I'm gonna get changed, thanks for the clothes," Blaine decided, rising to his feet and untangling his fingers from Kurt's. He moved to one of the stalls and shut the door for some privacy though Kurt left soon after.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay wow I'm so not satisfied with this chapter but it's been three months and I feel terrible for neglecting this story!**

**Hopefully I'll get back into the feel of things again soon!**

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><p>Blaine avoided Kurt for the rest of the day, thankful that it was Friday and he could have the whole weekend to forget everything. He hated himself for getting so caught up in things. But why couldn't he stop thinking about Kurt? What was wrong with him? This wasn't how his high school career was supposed to go. He was supposed to keep his head down, work hard and get good grades, and maybe make a few friends. Kurt didn't fit into this equation in any way and this wasn't like Blaine at all. He had never spent so much time thinking about one singular person before. He'd had crushes on guys, that was nothing new, but something about Kurt seemed to draw him in. Perhaps he was reading too much into things but there just seemed to be something…vulnerable about Kurt that he hadn't noticed before. Kurt had always been this confident, ruthless guy and since he joined the Cheerios, he didn't take crap from anybody.<p>

If Blaine had to come up with one word to describe Kurt as they sat together on the cold, tiled floor of the boys' bathroom as they almost-but-not-quite kissed, it would be scared. He was scared of Blaine, or rather, he was scared of what Blaine symbolised: everything his life could have been if he hadn't made his escape by joining the Cheerios. That includes slushies, dumpster tosses, and locker slams.

Blaine laid on his neatly made bed, ankles crossed and hands resting on his stomach as he gazed blankly at the ceiling above. He wanted to show Kurt that it wasn't not all bad – being at the bottom of the social food chain – but he knew Kurt would never give up his reputation for him. And why should he?

His phone buzzed with a new text message on the nightstand and Blaine reached for it without turning his head to look, his hand blindly searching for the device. The message was from Kurt.

_I'm really sorry._

Blaine stared at the text, unsure how to reply. He wanted to type back _it's okay_ but he knew it wasn't and anything else he could come up with just sounded rude. He didn't want Kurt to hate him, not again. He instead ignored the text, after all, he had homework to do.

He was barely halfway through his math homework when his phone vibrated again. His eyebrows furrowed as he reached for it. Kurt clearly didn't want anything to do with him, so why wouldn't he stop texting?

It wasn't from Kurt however and Blaine tried to ignore the disappointment he could feel beginning to creep in. Instead it was Mercedes asking if he wanted to hang out with her and Tina the next day. Usually Blaine would reply with a polite 'no thank you', he liked his new glee club friends, a lot actually, but he still couldn't help but feel like an outsider, sitting on the side as he watched them interact. He hesitated however as his fingers hovered above the keys, he would just continue to feel like an outsider if he kept declining requests to spend time with them. His brother was right, he needs friends; real friends.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Blaine typed out his reply and hit send, telling Mercedes he'd meet them at the mall.

_This is good_, he kept telling himself over and over. This will be good for him.

As it turned out, hanging out with friends was a lot less traumatizing than Blaine had thought it would be. At first it was, admittedly, somewhat awkward as Blaine struggled to make conversation while Mercedes and Tina chatted about the latest gossip and scandals of McKinley High however once the conversation turned to glee club, he found that he could actually contribute to the discussion.

"Hey that's a point," Mercedes said as they strolled aimlessly around the mall. "How come I've never heard you sing, Blaine?"

"You've heard me sing," Blaine responded a little too defensively.

"Yeah, singing back-up for Berry doesn't really count I'm afraid." Blaine shrugs.

"I guess it's…I like being a part of the club. I don't really care about getting solos, it's just nice to be a part of something," he defended himself but he knew it was a lie. More than anything, Blaine wanted to be able to just get up in front of the club and belt out a number with all of his heart. Countless times he had dreamed of doing so and every time he thought maybe he might have found the perfect song, he would chicken out. He can sing, he knows that much but the thought of everyone staring at him made his skin crawl. He was just too shy. He had sung for his audition and he managed to get through that because Mr Schuester was the only spectator. Maybe someday he would be able to just get up and sing but he knew he wasn't quite ready for that. He was content to let Rachel have the glory for now.

"Don't let her think she's allowed to walk all over you, Blaine," Mercedes said warningly as she lead Blaine and Tina into a clothing store, picking absently at some of the items on the rail, "I'm sick of her thinking she owns the place when we're all just as talented as she is." Blaine stammered as he tried to think up a response. He hadn't realised how much animosity there was between them before, he supposed he really did need to spend more time with them.

"I don't mind her walking all over me…" he mumbled though he cringed when he realised how pathetic that must have sounded. But he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken; he didn't want to bad-mouth another club member behind their back. "I mean…I like just being in the background a little. If I were the frontman I'd probably crumble under the pressure." He attempted a laugh but it was hardly convincing. Mercedes just smiled sympathetically before browsing through some more clothes with Tina, the two occasionally groaning whenever they would check the price tag. Blaine was happy to just trail behind them both, offering what little knowledge he had about fashion and what, in his opinion, would look good on the girls.

It's okay y-y-you know," Tina said in her familiar stutter a short while later. Mercedes was in the changing room, leaving Tina to wait outside with Blaine. "T-to be shy. I know what it's like." Blaine raised his eyebrow in response, he'd never really spoken much to her before and Mercedes had initiated most of the conversation all day. "I don't really s-s-sing any s-solos either. I _want _to but…wh-who am I kidding, I could never compete with R-Rachel," she said sadly. He knew how she felt. If he ever found the courage to sing, he'd still have Finn to compete with and he couldn't see Rachel giving him up as her duet partner any time soon. He could tell she had already fallen for him and he couldn't quite make up his mind as to whether this would only end badly or not. It was obvious Finn didn't want to be in glee and Rachel had already placed all of her hopes in him.

There was also the fact that he had a _girlfriend._

"It's hard though," Tina continued, "I mean m-most of the time, I-I just want people to leave me alone. I don't want to have to talk to someone I don't know and it's easier if I j-just keep to myself. Bu-but at the same time…I just want somebody to talk to. Joining glee has really helped me come out of my shell. T-to help me make friends and just _talk_ _to people_.

"What I'm trying to say here I guess is…you can be yourself in glee. You don't have to be shy around us, we're here for you."

"Thanks Tina," he whispered, feeling somewhat foolish as a few tears began to gather. He laughed them away before pulling her into a tight hug. "You know," he said, finding his voice a little more, "I heard that singing helps to improve speech for people who stutter…You'll get your solo," he promised with another smile which Tina returned brightly before Mercedes returned.

Blaine returned to school on Monday morning in an unusually good mood. He couldn't believe how much he had been sabotaging himself. He already had friends who were there for him and he'd just been pushing them away. Why had he been wasting his time chasing after Kurt, someone who clearly showed no interest in knowing him when he had all the companionship he could ever ask for in glee club? He didn't need Kurt, all he had to do was get over his ridiculous crush.

Once he got to school, he realised he had gone the whole weekend without so much as thinking about Kurt and if he could just avoid him now then maybe he could finally rid the boy from his thoughts for good.

He should have known that that would be far easier said than done. There was still the matter of the borrowed clothes in his bag that he intended to return.

Kurt was at his locker when Blaine approached at the end of the day. He was just going to give the clothes back then go to glee club.

"Hey…" Kurt said sadly when he saw Blaine headed towards him. Blaine didn't reply, instead wordlessly handed the freshly washed and neatly folded pile of clothes to Kurt.

"Thanks," Kurt said with a slight smile, taking the clothes as Blaine turned to leave. "Wait!" he exclaimed, gripping Blaine sleeve to prevent him from walking away. He evidently remembered where they were however, quickly letting his fingers drop from the fabric as he shifted on his feet. "I'm sorry about Friday, Blaine," he said slightly hushed. Blaine sighed, even when he was trying to apologise he was constantly worried someone might see them together.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter."

"Just…I want you to know that…I _do _want…urgh." Kurt sighed in frustration. "I care about you," his voice was barely a whisper, "I know it may not seem like it but I-I do and I'm so sorry that all I seem to do is hurt you."

Blaine couldn't help his mouth from hanging open as he struggled to find something – anything – to respond with. Why did he have to do that? How was Blaine supposed to get over his ridiculous crush if he kept doing things like _that_? He gripped his bag strap nervously, unsure if the anxious look on Kurt's face was because he was worried people might see them together or because he was genuinely sorry.

"Kurt –"

"Can I still come over on Wednesday? For tutoring?" he asked before Blaine could say anything.

"S-sure," he said, nodding as he wondered why on earth he was letting Kurt do this to him all over again.

"Great!" Kurt exclaimed with relief, "We can…talk some more then, okay?" Blaine nodded as Kurt closed his locker and left for class, leaving Blaine utterly bewildered as to what just happened. It was as if being with Kurt put him in some sort of trance in which he was just unable to be angry at him.

Groaning, Blaine ran a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose slightly.

He couldn't shake the thought that Kurt was acting different somehow. Before, he'd been reluctant to just talk to Blaine and then all of a sudden he seemed completely distraught at the idea that Blaine was mad at him.

So Kurt cared about him? He wasn't sure what to do with this information. He _cared,_ okay, but that didn't necessarily mean anything was going to change. Kurt clearly cared about his reputation a whole lot more and he only needed the tutoring so he wouldn't get into trouble with his dad. Kurt was just using him.

He tried not to think about it though as he made his way to glee club. He didn't want to be worrying about Kurt when he was surrounded by a whole room full of people who weren't ashamed to be friends with him.

When he arrived however, sitting in a row were three cheerleaders, each with one leg crossed over the other and looking as though just being in the room was causing them physical pain. Finn was also sat beside one of the girls, looking happier than Blaine had ever seen him while in glee club. He paused in the doorway when he saw them, unsure for a moment if he was actually in the right room. Though when he spotted Tina and Mercedes looing pointedly at him, he decided that he must be and cautiously made his was over to them.

_What? _He mouthed to Mercedes as he nodded his head towards the girls.

_I don't know! _She mimed back with a shrug.

"Hey guys!" Mr Schue greeted as he entered the room, "Before we start, I'd like to introduce our newest members, Quinn Fabray, Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez!"


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm still here I promise!**

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><p>Blaine groaned as he collapsed face first into his bed on Wednesday afternoon. Ever since the three cheerleaders had joined glee club, they'd been working the whole club into an early grave. It was like having three Coach Sylvesters constantly telling them to push themselves harder while scrutinising every step they took. They were rude and ruthless and often forgot that the club was made up of humans who, incidentally, were limited to <em>human<em> capabilities.

The worst part though was that they _were _starting to look a whole lot better as a group and though he hated to admit it, it was obvious that it was because of the girls' input. Yet, due to their military-style leadership, glee club was far from gleeful.

Furthermore, Mr Schue had missed the last two rehearsals – something about Rachel offending his dance moves, Blaine wasn't really paying attention – and Rachel was growing more and more irritated with the new members. Blaine couldn't make his mind up as to whether it was because she felt entitled to leadership of the group or if it was because Finn just so happened to be dating one of the cheerleaders, Quinn. He suspected it was probably both.

The doorbell rang and Blaine groaned deeply into his pillow; he'd forgotten that Kurt was coming over for tutoring that day. With a considerable amount of effort, he managed to haul himself off the bed and stumbled downstairs.

Kurt looked a whole lot better than Blaine felt and Blaine was surprised by his sudden desire to just slam the door in his face and go take a nap.

But then that would be rude.

Disguising the fact that he felt like crap as best he could, Blaine reluctantly invited him inside before making his was back upstairs.

Kurt remained quiet until they made it to Blaine's bedroom. He took a seat on the bed before finally talking. "What I said on Monday," he said so quietly that it took Blaine a moment to realise that he was even talking at all, "I meant it. Really." Kurt was nervous, he realised.

"You mean…" Blaine trailed off uncertainly.

"I mean that I _do_ care about you."

"But you care about your reputation more, obviously," Blaine countered. He was tired and not just from glee club, he was tired of everything, including Kurt and his endless mind games. Kurt's gaze didn't falter, his eyes suddenly hard and cold.

"I care about myself, of course. You could say that my reputation is an extension of that," Kurt said without breaking eye contact. "If it's selfish of me to just want to get through High School alive then fine."

"I never said that you were selfish," Blaine pointed out slowly, slightly weary after Kurt's outburst. Kurt paused as he contemplated Blaine's words before sighing heavily and hanging his head.

"I came here to apologise properly and all I'm doing is getting defensive," he said feebly. Blaine stayed standing, unsure what exactly to do in such a situation. Kurt looked up again slowly, his eyes meeting Blaine's again. It was then that he realised that he would never get over just how blue they were, like freshly polished gemstones, and the fact that his eyebrows were furrowed slightly in sorrow made it almost impossible to look away. "I _am_ sorry that I treated you the way I did…and probably still do. And I'm sorry that I keep hurting you even though I'm trying so hard not to. I've…I've kind of built up these walls and I deflect pretty much everyone with sarcasm and cutting remarks and you…you just seem to…I don't know what it is about you but you just bypass those walls so easily and to be honest that scares me so much. I find myself caring about you and _that _scares me too."

"Kurt – "

"And I just want to be a good person but if I even acknowledge you at school then I _know _people will talk and I'm not strong enough to deal with it like you do. I don't want to be the person that I am but I've forgotten how to be anything else." Kurt let out a choked sob as he finished followed by a breath of relief. Blaine could see just how much better he must have felt after getting all of that off his chest. He found himself sitting next to Kurt on the bed, pulling him into a one armed and slightly awkward hug as if on auto-pilot.

"I'm sorry," Kurt murmured as he slung both of his arms around Blaine's neck. Blaine had no idea what to think. He still wanted to hate Kurt and to just extract him from his life but their threads were far too tangled to separate them by that point. Without thinking, Blaine turned to hug Kurt back, full on, with both arms. The longer they stayed, arms interlocked and just breathing in each other, the more Blaine begun to feel like he could definitely get used to this. All he wanted was to stay there and never leave. His heart pounded against his ribs so hard that he was sure Kurt could have probably felt it against his own chest. But it also somehow felt safe; it felt like home.

"You know," Blaine begun slowly, an idea suddenly forming in his mind, "Santana, Quinn and Brittany all joined glee club and they're all still head bitches as far as the rest of the school is concerned." Kurt tilted his head and pulled back slightly to get a better look at Blaine, his expression confused. "You could join too," he suggested, his tone lilted with cautious optimism.

"They're spying on you," Kurt said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"W-what…?" Blaine stuttered, taken aback by Kurt's deadpanned reply while processing the information.

"Coach Sylvester made them join so they could take your club down from the inside," he clarified though Blaine wasn't quite sure if he understood.

"But…why?"

"She hates you. Well, not _you, _but the club and Mr Schuester in particular."

"Okay," Blaine deliberated slowly, drawing the word out while he considered his original idea. "You could still join. In fact, this could be better. Tell Coach and the other Cheerios that you're spying too!"

"Blaine, what makes you think I even _want _to join glee club?" Kurt countered with a playful smile. It wasn't mocking, and Blaine can't help the spread of his grin at the ease they suddenly had with each other.

"Because then you could _acknowledge _me at school without people talking," Blaine said, repeating Kurt's worries from before.

"Blaine – "

"Please?" The more he turned the idea over in his mind, the more Blaine realised just how much he wanted Kurt to join, to share this thing with him. Kurt looked torn, mouth opening and closing as he tried to form a reply before relenting with a sigh.

"Okay," he agrees with a fragile smile before sucking in a heavy breath. "Okay," he repeats, as if mentally preparing himself.

Blaine's arm was still wrapped loosely around Kurt's shoulder, so he pulled him into one last quick embrace just to say thank you before pulling away swiftly and rising to his feet.

"We should probably start studying," he suggested while pulling out the chair from under his desk. Kurt sniffled softly and nodded, taking the spare seat besides Blaine.

"Thank you," he whispered softly. "Even after all the crap I make you put up with, you're still the nicest anyone has ever been to me. I still haven't made up my mind as to whether that makes you a genuinely nice guy or just an idiot."

"Probably a little of both," Blaine said with a laugh but before he had a chance to elaborate, Kurt leaned forward and a pair of soft, slightly damp lips pressed firmly against his cheek. They were gone an instant after and Blaine turned his head to see Kurt smiling contently. Blaine pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he blushed and ducked his head while Kurt unloaded his books onto the desk as if nothing had happened.

What _did _just happen? Kurt kissed him on the cheek, that was simple enough but why had Blaine gotten so flustered? He realised then that that was the first kiss between them that Kurt had initiated while sober. Even if it was just a peck on the cheek, Blaine can't contain his jubilation.

They had finally begun studying shortly after that, though it was less studying and more Kurt doing his homework while Blaine checked over his answers. They were almost all correct and Blaine felt a swell of pride in his chest. It wasn't as though Kurt didn't understand the topics – in fact he was far more intelligent than Blaine had ever given him credit for – he just never bothered to listen in class. Blaine had to wonder whether this was through his own doing or if it had anything to do with the peer pressure he had to deal with.

Kurt finished the last question of his chemistry homework with a satisfied smile and, after Blaine checked it over, put the books back into his messenger bag.

"Is it okay if I stay to do some other homework?" Kurt asked, eyes wide and trusting, "I hardly have any time as it is to get this stuff done and if I'm going to be joining glee as well then that just divides my time up even more."

"Absolutely, that'd be fine!" Blaine replied enthusiastically. His mind reeling from the fact that Kurt was seriously going to join glee club. Kurt smiled as he pulled out some more books and hastily got to work. Blaine – having no homework left to do – decided to read through some chapters in his text book. They worked mostly in silence, only interrupted by an occasional question from Kurt, asking for clarification on something. Nevertheless, the silence was comfortable, as of they'd been doing this after school for years.

There was one thing nagging at Blaine, however. They had finally settled their differences and come to some sort of mutual standing point where they no longer had to argue over trivial things every time they conversed, but where they friends? Were they more than friends? Less? Blaine wanted to bring it up, but he didn't want to be faced with an answer like last time. Sure, things had changed since then but was it enough? He understood why Kurt was the way he was. He wanted to be mad at him for not wanting people to know that he associates with someone like Blaine but he just couldn't. He knew Kurt's reason and he knew that it made sense despite the fact that it did hurt.

He just needed to be grateful for what he _did_ have with Kurt. It might not be labelled as one thing or another but their relationship was still _something _at least.

* * *

><p>It came as no surprise to Blaine when Kurt didn't say a word to him during school the following day. Instead, there were brief moments of eye contact and fleeting looks that, to those unknowing, were undetectable. It was almost exciting in a way: to have this secret that no one could know about. It felt like he was the only one who was truly allowed to know the <em>real <em>Kurt.

Glee club rehearsals were to be held at lunch that day. Blaine finally allowed himself to get excited as he made his way over to the choir room, hoping with his entire being that Kurt would turn up. Most of the club were already seated when Blaine arrived though he took note of the fact that Quinn, Santana and Brittany hadn't arrived yet. Mr Schue had also failed to turn up yet again, leaving Blaine to wonder if he was even interested in being their club director anymore.

Blaine took a seat next to Mercedes in the front row though he didn't participate in the conversation she was having with Tina. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the door, willing his heart to stop beating so fast. He had no idea why he even cared so much but he did. He wanted Kurt to walk through that door and every moment that he didn't was agonising.

The familiar red, white and black of the McKinley High cheerleading uniform caught Blaine's attention faster than he would care to admit when the three girls finally entered the room. Blaine's eyes stayed trained on the door and there was no way he could suppress his grin the moment Kurt stepped into the room after them.

He was nervous, Blaine could tell, but Kurt wasn't about to let a roomful of people know that. He held himself confidently and maintained a bored looking expression. Blaine offered and encouraging smile and Kurt blinked in his general direction, which Blaine guessed meant he acknowledged it.

"Kurt's joining the club," Quinn said by way of explanation when people began questioning his presence.

"He can't just _join, _he needs to audition," Rachel challenged, rising from her seat.

"We're the closest thing to an actual, _experienced_ director this club as ever had right now and we already know how well a performer Kurt is. Be grateful we're not kicking any of you _out." _Santana countered. The four cheerleaders stood menacingly at the front of the class and Mercedes groaned beside him.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"_They_ are," she said incredulously.

"Kurt's not so bad…" Blaine replied, almost too defensively as Mercedes eyed him suspiciously. "I mean he hasn't actually done anything yet so…" Mercedes sighed.

"They're up to something, I know it. Why else would they all suddenly be so interested?"

Blaine couldn't help but feel guilty because they _were _up to something. Kurt had told him that they were trying to bring their club down but there was nothing he could do about it. If he told the others what Coach Sylvester and the girls were doing then he'd have to explain _how _he knew and that would only make Kurt go right back to hating him again. He sat quietly, making a mental note to keep an eye on them and to intervene as soon as things started to get out of hand.

Santana, Brittany and Kurt all took a seat at the back of the room, the rest of the club reluctant about having a new addition but no one saying anything further on the subject.

"Now since Mr Schue is evidently no longer interested in directing this club," Quinn stated, followed by a pointed look in Rachel's direction, "We've already talked to Dakota Stanley, Vocal Adrenaline's choreographer, and he's agreed to help us out. All we need to do is raise the money to pay him so this Saturday, we're going to hold a car wash and everyone has to pitch in." The whole club groaned as Quinn finished her announcement. Blaine used the opportunity to sneak a quick glance behind him at Kurt. A ghost of a smile flit across his face the moment their eyes met and Blaine turned back to the front. It wasn't much, but it was enough.


	10. Chapter 10

**Things are gonna start getting interesting soon**

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><p>"Not in your Cheerios uniform?" Blaine asked, spotting Kurt beside a large, black car, fiddling with a hose. He looked up, startled by Blaine presence and offered a quick smile after checking their surroundings.<p>

"No," he replied in a hushed voice, not quite at ease with being with Blaine in a public place, despite the whole of the glee club being there as well. "I didn't feel like wearing a bikini top like the others," he said, followed by a short laugh. He was dressed in simple black jeans and an old hoody and Blaine couldn't help but think that he looked so very un-Kurt. He remembered the conversation they had in the bathroom the week before, how Kurt didn't want to stand out any more than he already did. It was a shame, Blaine thought, suddenly eager to know how Kurt would dress if he was allowed to just be himself.

Blaine's train of thought was interrupted by a high pitched screech from Kurt as he was sprayed with water by Santana.

"Kurt, quit talking to the dork and get over here," she demanded. Kurt threw an apologetic look in Blaine's direction before heading over to the group of girls wearing – well – very little. At least it will draw in some male customers, Blaine thought.

He picked up a sponge from the bucket of soapy water, cleaning the car that Kurt had left unfinished: a huge black navigator.

"So!" Mercedes said, both hands gripping Blaine's shoulders, causing him to jolt, dropping the sponge in his hand to the ground. "Are you going to tell me about this guy you like now or what?"

"Mercedes! You scared the life out of me!" he exclaimed, not missing the way Kurt looked over his shoulder at him, knowing he must have heard.

"Come on! Is it someone I know? Is he here today?" Mercedes pressed, unwilling to let the matter go. Blaine bent down to pick up the sponge he dropped as the girl waited impatiently for an answer.

"Okay," Blaine finally relented, deciding if he gave her something then she might leave the matter alone, "there is someone but…he doesn't like me back in that way so please, _please _can we drop it? I really don't feel like talking about it right now."

"Blaine," Mercedes said warningly.

"I said no!" Blaine shot back in frustration as he angrily scrubbed the sponge across the hood of the car. He froze the instant he saw the four white lines that trailed behind in stark contrast to the brilliant black of the car. His eyes widened at the realisation of what he had done. Embedded in his sponge were several stones that had been picked up when he dropped it on the gravel of the parking lot.

"I tried to warn you!" Mercedes cried in panic, running her fingers along the scratches.

"Oh God," Blaine whimpered as he tossed the sponge back into the bucket. "What do I do?"

"Oh, this is too good," Santana said with a smirk as she strutted over to the two. She stood on the opposite side of the hood, looking at the blemish with a look of pure amusement. "Kurt is going to rip you a new one when he sees this!"

Blaine felt his heart drop, landing like a stone in the pit of his stomach. This was Kurt's car? He tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat but it remained thick and prominent as he attempted to calm himself but with no luck.

"Hey, Kurt! Come see what Bowties did to your car!" Santana called and Blaine wanted to cry. The friendship that had taken so long to build up would be ruined in a matter of moments.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked as he joined Santana's side. He saw the mark on the hood of his car, shock passing his features briefly followed by confusion. He looked up to Blaine who stood, mouth open, at a loss for words.

"I...I didn't m-mean to. Kurt I am _so _sorry." A moment of silence passed as Kurt looked from the scratch on his car to Blaine and back again. Blaine waited with baited breath, dreading the explosion that was sure to come.

But there was no explosion, no seething remarks, and no scowl. Kurt shrugged, "It's no big deal," he said, voice calm. Blaine felt as though his entire body relax, unaware that he had been so tense, as the fear slowly dissipated. He allowed himself to relish in the relief. Although he still felt guilty, Kurt wasn't mad at least.

"What the hell? This loser scratches your car and it's no big deal?" Santana said in disbelief.

"He's not worth it," Kurt stated dismissively, shooting Blaine a look that told him they'd talk about it later. Blaine smiled back gratefully. Kurt could have screamed at him, embarrassed him in front of everyone, he's sure he would have if it was just a few months ago, maybe even a few weeks. Santana still gave Kurt an earful as he led her back to the group of Cheerios.

"Woah," Mercedes breathed. "I was prepping your eulogy in my head. Remind me how you're not dead?" Blaine looked to his friend, she was staring ahead at Kurt and the group of girls.

"Like I said, Kurt's not that bad," Blaine said with a grin.

"Are you two, like, friends or something?" Mercedes questioned with narrowed eyes. Blaine shrugged, unsure what to tell her. Kurt was still cautious about their friendship, he clearly wasn't open about it with the Cheerios so Blaine figured he wouldn't appreciate it if he were to blab about it to his own friends.

"We worked on a project together in chemistry," Blaine told her truthfully. He reached into the bucket to retrieve the sponge, making sure it was clean this time before wiping it over Kurt's car again. He took extra care in cleaning it, knowing who it belonged to. "He's really not as bad as everyone makes him out to be." Mercedes gave him a calculating look before her eyes widened with realisation. She looked over once more to where Kurt was still arguing with Santana then back to Blaine.

"He's…You're...You like _Kurt_?" Mercedes demands in a hushed tone. Blaine's mouth dropped open as she hit the nail on the head and his moment's hesitation was enough to confirm for Mercedes that she was right. "Are you insane?" She screeched, punching him in the arm

"What was that for?" Blaine yelped, "I told you, nothing's going to happen because he doesn't feel the same way. I can't help who I like and besides, it's not like I'm hurting anyone."

"It's hurting _you,_" Mercedes said, voice turning sympathetic.

"What?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed how you've been acting lately. I know we don't exactly know each other that well and it's only since we joined glee that we even started talking but, Blaine, you're one of _us_, and he's, well, he's a Cheerio. You're a part of this group and none of us want to see you get crushed by the likes of Kurt Hummel." Blaine dropped the sponge back into the bucket and reached for the hose, spraying the car down gently.

"So you're saying that because I'm in glee club – because I'm not popular – I'll never have a chance with him?" Blaine countered with a little more spite than he intended. However, Mercedes didn't back off.

"You said yourself that he's not interested in you, honey," she reminded him.

"I know," Blaine said, deflating a little, "I'm sorry, maybe you're right. It's just hard. I don't know what to do. It's like, everyone fits into these neat little categories and no one is allowed to interact outside of them and I just – " Blaine stopped himself before he said something he'd regret. "It sucks," he finished with a shrug.

"Welcome to loserdom," Mercedes said with a grin as Blaine finished rinsing Kurt's car and the two of them moved on to the next one. He couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

><p>After an undetermined number of cars washed by the glee club – a number that beat that of the Cheerio participants by far – Blaine tossed his sponge into the bucket of water for the last time that day. Almost everyone else had finished up and gone home already but Blaine was determined to stick around in the hopes that he could get a moment of privacy with Kurt so he could apologise properly.<p>

Kurt seemed unwilling to leave as well. The girls left in groups, finishing the last of their cars and taking the last few dollars from the remaining customers, adding it to the surprising amount they had raised that day. Blaine was sure that they weren't helping out of the good of their hearts, they got absolutely no benefit out of helping the glee club. It was obvious that this was all part of the insane plan that Coach Sylvester had to take down the glee club. How raising money to get them a professional choreographer was supposed to shut down the club, however, Blaine had no idea.

"Be careful," Mercedes said as she was leaving, sending a wary glance in Kurt's direction, clearly knowing why Blaine was reluctant to leave. He offered her a smile, grateful that she was concerned but wishing she wasn't.

"I will," he replied and she left. It was just Kurt and him standing on opposite sides of the parking lot as the last car drove away. Blaine smiled bashfully, staring at his feet before making his way over to Kurt. He stood beside his car, arms crossed and a stern look on his face making Blaine feel suddenly nervous. "Thanks for waiting," he said hesitantly. Kurt's face remained the same, a closed book. "I just…I'm so sorry about your car. I'll pay for it to get fixed and – " Blaine lost his train of thought the moment Kurt's lips broke into a smile, he shook his head affectionately, unable to meet his gaze.

"Blaine…"

"I-I mean it, I –"

"I'm just messing with you. I'm not really mad. Honestly, it's just a tiny scratch," Kurt said, tossing his bag into the back seat of his car. "Do you need a ride?" Blaine stood stunned as Kurt walked around to the driver's seat until he realised that Kurt was still looking at him expectantly. He nodded with a brief smile, getting into the passage side gratefully. Mercedes had driven him there that morning and Blaine hadn't even considered how he would get home when he told her to go without him.

"I mean it though, I'll pay for the damage," Blaine said earnestly as Kurt started up the ignition.

"Don't you even think about it. I can fix it up myself in no time at all."

"Kurt –"

"Please don't worry about it. I promise, it's fine." Blaine sighed, letting the matter go.

"I am sorry though," he said.

"I know," Kurt replied with a friendly smile.

The rest of the journey back to Blaine's was comfortable. They chatted about typical things, music, movies, TV shows they both enjoyed and Blaine felt at ease enough to hum along to a few songs that played on the radio.

"Thanks," he said as Kurt pulled up outside his house, "for the lift and for not making a big deal out of…you know, though I do still feel terrible." Kurt waved away Blaine's last attempt at an apology.

"It's no problem, you worry too much."

"I guess I see you Monday," Blaine said, reaching for the door handle.

"Wait!" Kurt's hand was on his shoulder, a tentative look painted on his face. Blaine looked at him questioningly. "I just…I wanted to…" Kurt licked his lips as he struggled to find what to say and Blaine hated himself for letting his eyes linger on them. He couldn't really be blamed for staring, though, because he was almost certain that they were moving closer towards him.

In fact, he was _definitely_ certain they were because a moment later they were pressed gently against his own. Blaine sucked in a startled breath at the sensation, eyelids instinctively fluttering closed. He didn't kiss back, he didn't trust himself to move at all, but Kurt's lips were insistent while still remaining tender and caring. He felt Kurt's warm breath against his cheek as he shifted to a better angle. It tickled, like being brushed with a feather and Blaine felt himself smiling into the kiss. A soft pressure began pressing against his closed lips, insisting on entry, and Blaine was sure he felt his heart stop the moment he realised it was Kurt's _tongue. _Blaine's lips automatically parted at the sensation as Kurt ventured inside, brushing delicately against his own tongue. It was certainly not the first time Kurt's tongue had been in Blaine's mouth, though Blaine wasn't sure if he would ever get used to the feeling.

All too soon, Kurt slowly began to pull back, lingering for a moment as his mouth caught on Blaine's bottom lip, tugging at it ever so slightly. Then he was gone and Blaine's lips felt uncomfortably bare without the feel of Kurt against them. He couldn't help the tiny whine that escaped him and he flushed red when he heard how desperate he sounded.

Blinking his eyes, open, Blaine was smacked by the reality of everything, because there he was, sitting in Kurt's car, having just been kissed by the other boy who was staring at him expectantly, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"I-I," Blaine stuttered before clearing his throat, "um."

Kurt blushed – _blushed – _before staring down at his lap with a mix of disbelief and awe.

"I guess I'll see you Monday then," Kurt stated, his voice laced with amusement as Blaine tried to remember how to open the door of the car. He fumbled around with the handle until finally managing to push it open. "Bye!" Kurt called from the driver's seat.

"Bye," Blaine mumbled back, still on a high from what just happened. Kurt waved goodbye, laughing gently as Blaine shut the door to his navigator, allowing him to drive home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Some fluff (:**

* * *

><p>Sunday was spent exchanging texts. Much to Blaine's surprise, Kurt was apparently extremely affectionate when he wanted to be. It was strange knowing that the boy who had sent him nothing but cold glares over the past few months could act that way.<p>

**_I really miss you_**

Blaine's phone buzzed with the latest text. The giddy feeling that had been churning all day flared back to life as another text came through.

**_I wish we could spend more time together in public. The car wash was fun!_**

_Me too, _

Blaine typed back. Though they'd been swapping texts all day, there was something he had still been meaning to ask. He typed quickly, hoping to get the message out and hit send before he could change his mind.

_So does this make us…_

**_Make us what?_**

Kurt's reply came instantly as had most of his texts that day. Blaine can't help but smile at the idea of him waiting by his phone all day, eager to receive and reply to another text. And all because of him, because Kurt actually _liked _him, had feelings for him that were far deeper than he had ever dared to hope.

_You know… _

Blaine bit his lip as he hit send because he was actually flirting with a guy he liked through text and when had this become his life?

**_I do? _**

Kurt responded. Blaine let out a short chuckle as Kurt played dumb, deciding he should just go ahead and say it.

_Are we dating? _

He hit send and waited anxiously for the reply. He leaned back against the pillows on his bed, holding the phone just above his face as he waited for the screen to light up with a new message.

But when a minute passed and then two, he knew something was up. His hand began to shake as the phone in his hand remained silent with no reply from Kurt.

"Damn," Blaine mumbles to himself, why did he always manage to screw these things up?

Just as he was reprimanding himself for almost every word he'd sent Kurt that day, his phone vibrated with a new message at last. However, judging from the amount of time it had taken, he didn't hold out much hope.

**_I want us to be…_**Kurt's reply was short and inconclusive and Blaine just wished he could see what came after that ellipses.

_Great?_

He wrote back tentatively but another message came through the moment he hit send. He hurriedly opened it.

**_But_**

_But? But what? Why even bother sending these fragments just finish your sentence_! Blaine almost wrote this out to text to Kurt but thought better as yet another message came through.

**_I'm sorry Blaine._**

Blaine glared at the text as he wondered why he even allowed his hopes to get as high as they had. He brought his legs up to his chest, happy to curl up into a ball and sleep until he absolutely had to deal with the fact that he had school the next day.

His phone vibrated again.

**_Really I am. I want to be your boyfriend. But I can't…you know, do relationshippy things with you. We can't go on dates or kiss in public or even hold hands at school. You deserve better than that._**

Blaine's chest began to ache as he read each word three times over. Kurt wanted to, he really did. He wasn't sure if this made it any easier. Rejection hurt enough, but with the knowledge that they _could _be something if things were different, Blaine felt like everything in his life was meaningless.

After he read the message for the fourth time, Blaine made a decision. He pressed the call button before closing his eyes, praying that his courage wouldn't wear off within the following 30 seconds.

"Hello?" Kurt answered uncertainly

"I want to be your boyfriend," he stated with as much conviction as he could manage and mentally thanking anyone who was listening that his voice didn't waver.

"_What_?" Kurt hissed, though it was more out of shock than spite.

"I want to be your boyfriend and I don't care whether you think you're good enough or if I deserve better or whatever. Okay, I think I'm old enough to decide what I want and I want you to be in my life in every way possible and I know you want that too so just forget about what everyone else will think. We don't have to tell anyone, I don't care if we hide it, I don't care about showing you off to people. I just want you. I want to be your boyfriend and I want you to be _my _boyfriend." Blaine took a huge breath as he waited for Kurt to give a thousand excuses as to why it would never happen. He was in no way prepared for Kurt's actual reply.

"Okay."

"O-okay?"

"Yes, okay," Kurt said as he laughed. "You made your point. We can…we can give it a try."

"Are you…serious?" Blaine said in disbelief.

"Did I stutter or something?" Kurt replied sarcastically though it had none of the malice Blaine had grown used to. It was fond and caring and hinted that Kurt felt that same giddiness as Blaine.

"Wow,"

"Yes, wow." They both laughed, amazed at how simple it was to just…be. "So I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"You mean you'll actually speak to me?" Blaine couldn't stop himself from asking. He regretted it the moment the words left his lips.

"Of course!" Kurt defended, "You're my boyfriend, I kind of have to."

"Wow."

"What?"

"…Boyfriend."

"Yeah." Blaine could hear the smile in his voice and his chest tingled at the thought that Kurt was just as excited as he was.

"But…you know I can't…" Kurt began and Blaine wondered if it was the first time he'd ever heard him sound so nervous.

"I know. You can't be my boyfriend at school…"

"No…I'll still be your boyfriend I just…can't show it."

"It's kinda the same thing," Blaine murmured, "But we'll be okay, like I said, I don't care that we have to hide it."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not as brave as you are."

"You're plenty brave, Kurt," Blaine assured, ending the topic. They talked about meaningless things for the rest of the phone call and the moments when they both fell silent, when they'd run out of things to say, didn't feel awkward in the slightest much to Blaine's astonishment. Things just felt natural. They felt right.

* * *

><p>Blaine sat in English the next day, trying his utmost to focus on the short stories they were to read that lesson when he felt his phone vibrate against his leg. Blaine frowned, no one ever texted him while he was in class. He opened it up discreetly, smiling when he saw it was from Kurt.<p>

**_Good morning x_**

_Shouldn't you be in class? Good morning to you too x_

Blaine felt his heart pound against his chest, looking up to his teacher as often as possible to ensure he wouldn't get caught. He had never done anything like this before, not in class. He always made sure to pay attention and write down notes but this brought brand new feelings of excitement and the danger of getting caught.

It was silly, he knew it was and he almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic he was. He was just texting in class after all, it wasn't like Kurt had influenced him to skip school and hijack a car.

Kurt's reply came after a short while, obviously unable to reply as swiftly as he normally would.

**_I am in class! I'm a text ninja_**

It took all of Blaine will power not to laugh out loud.

_Clearly (:_

Blaine looked about the classroom again, relieved to see Mr Abbott still had his back to the class as he wrote on the board.

**_I just wanted to say good morning. I can't be your bf at school but I can through telecommunications! x_**

Blaine did laugh at this, earning him a few odd looks from the students sitting to his side. Mr Abbotts turned his attention back to the class, he gave Blaine a warning look after noticing the phone in his lap to which Blaine sheepishly replied with a feeble "Sorry," before stashing his phone inside his bag.

It was strange seeing Kurt in the hallways and about the school during the day and having to barely acknowledge his presence. Not when there was so much between them

It felt like they ran into each other between every period. Kurt attempted to smile whenever they passed each other but when he was with a large group of Cheerios, he just kept his head down, not even making eye contact.

Although it hurt, Blaine understood. He had made that promise when he more or less asked him out the night before. He told Kurt it wouldn't bother him. Or that he wouldn't show that it bothered him at least. That was the deal they made.

Blaine wasn't expecting anything to be different at lunch so it came as no surprise when Kurt sat with his usual group of friends.

Blaine sat with the glee club minus Finn and the three Cheerios who were with Kurt at his table.

Blaine's phone vibrated and he knew immediately who it was from.

**_So what's lunch for you today? _**

He looked up briefly to where Kurt was sitting, noticing that he was gazing back in his direction. They shared a shy smile, their friends too preoccupied with their own lunches and conversations to notice.

_Slice of pizza and some salad. You?_

Blaine cut his pizza into bite size pieces. Unable to shake the table manners his parents had branded into him as a child.

**_Wow I'm so jealous! Coach has us on these awful protein shakes. I'm pretty sure there are crushed egg shells in this thing..._**

Blaine grimaced as he read Kurt's text before sending a sympathetic looks in his direction.

_This is unacceptable! No one is allowed to treat my boyfriend this way ;) _

Blaine wanted to slap himself for being so gooey but every time he even thought of the word 'boyfriend' in relation to Kurt and himself, he could feel himself rising to cloud nine. Evidently, Kurt felt the same way.

**_You really need to stop referring to me as your boyfriend in public. It's making me want to kiss you right now._**

Some of the other glee-club members started to notice Blaine's distraction. Mercedes sent him a suspicious glare, eyes flickering to the phone in his hand that kept buzzing with new texts from Kurt.

He really did want to tell her about them, she deserved to know, but he had made a promise to Kurt and he wasn't about to go and ruin everything before it barely got a chance to become _something_. Mercedes was an amazing friend but Blaine wasn't sure if he knew her well enough to be able to trust her with a secret like this. She already knew that he liked Kurt; that was too much already.

"Who are you t-t-texting?" Tina asked, alerting the attention of the rest of the table.

"My mom..." he replied almost too quickly to be believable. Mercedes side eyed him. He was still blushing from Kurt's last text and with the added embarrassment of the whole table watching him, Blaine was sure his face resembled a fully ripened tomato.

"He's texting a boy!" Rachel exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger in Blaine's direction. Her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of some of their neighbouring tables. But then, when isn't Rachel's voice loud enough to do that? "Is it Finn?"

"What!? No! Why do you always assume it's Finn?" Blaine countered defensively, hiding his phone in his pocket, away from prowling eyes.

"But it's someone, right?" Rachel tried to affirm. Blaine noticed that Mercedes stayed quiet in all of this, smirking into her lunch as she knew something the others didn't. He prayed that she would remain silent.

"Look, guys, I'm not having this conversation again."

* * *

><p>After a full day of talking to Kurt solely through text, it came as a shock when he appeared seemingly out of nowhere at the end of the day as Blaine gathered his things from his locker.<p>

"We have a problem," Kurt said in a hushed whisper and before Blaine had a chance to reply, Kurt was dragging him to the nearest empty classroom. Apparently that was a habit of his. He closed the door while Blaine took a seat at one of the front desks.

Kurt stepped forward nervously. His breath was shaky and all Blaine wanted to do was hold him. But they were at school and though the classroom was empty, the noise and bustle from outside clarified the fact that he couldn't show any affection. It was still too risky, anyone could walk in.

"This was in my locker." Kurt dropped a photo onto the desk. Blaine picked it up, eyes widening when he recognised the two people in the photo as Kurt and himself. It was from the party his brother had thrown what seems like years ago now. They were sitting on Blaine's sofa, kissing deeply, gone to the rest of the world.

"Oh..." Blaine said, blushing furiously yet unable to tear his eyes away from the photo. He had never seen himself looking so...debauched. He looked up to Kurt, seeing the pure panic setting on his face while he tried to control his shaky breathing. "I'm guessing you didn't put it there?" Blaine asked calmly.

Kurt shakes his head

"I think someone's trying to blackmail me."


	12. Chapter 12

**Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is, in fact, another update!**

* * *

><p>"Blackmail?" Blaine asked, shocked. "Did they say anything? Was there a message or anything?"<p>

"Well…no, but –" Kurt trailed off with a shrug. The look he gave Blaine was begging him to be as panicked as he was. "We start dating and then the next day this mysteriously appears in my locker? That can't be a coincidence…"

Blaine stood from the desk, picture still in hand, and pulled Kurt to the back of the classroom where they were he was sure no one could see them even if they peered through the window on the door.

"Hey, calm down," he said, stroking his thumb over Kurt's wrist while his breath came out in short pants. "Just breathe, okay?" Kurt nodded as he tried to control his breathing, taking deep breaths, slowly and one at a time.

Once he was certain Kurt had calmed down, he took him into his arms, holding him strongly and trying not to let the hurt sink into his skin.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered against Blaine's neck. Blaine could feel a slight dampness that could only mean Kurt was crying. "I'm not ashamed of you, I promise. I'm just…I know what everyone else will think and I'm scared of what they'll do. Not just to me but both of us."

"It's okay," Blaine told him. "Besides, you don't know that it's blackmail, and you can barely tell that it's me anyway. See, look." He pulled away from Kurt slightly to show him the photo, pointing out what he meant, "Your hand is covering my face and I'm not wearing glasses. If…if anyone sees it just…" Blaine sucked in a breath, steeling himself what he was about to suggest, "just tell them that it's someone else. I won't mind, I promise," he lied.

Kurt stared searchingly into his eyes and Blaine felt naked under the scrutiny.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked hesitantly before he shook his head, screwing his eyes shut, "No. What am I saying, I can't do that to you. I've already hurt you enough. I'm honestly surprised that you're still here."

Blaine cut off his rambling with a brief kiss, heart fluttering at the realisation that he could just do that now. Kurt whined as he pulled away, problems seemingly vanished until he remembered where they were. He looked hastily to the door, double checking that no one saw before he returned the gesture, kissing Blaine back ever so softly.

"I wish everyone knew how amazing you are and how lucky I am that you actually want to be with me," Kurt said, pulling Blaine as close to him as possible in an intimate embrace. Blaine could feel Kurt's heart pounding and tried to decide whether it was from the excitement of everything or his fear of them getting caught. One wall was all that separated them from the rest of the school, after all.

"Kurt, we've been together for less than a day," Blaine reminded him.

"I know," he replied with an air of nonchalance, "I'm just sorry I wasn't brave enough to take this chance sooner. I was just like everybody else, like some of the people I can't stand. I didn't even give you the time of day because I never stopped to consider that behind the glasses and the books and the horribly gelled hair," Blaine mocked offence but allowed Kurt to continue, "I never stopped to consider that behind all that was a person. And an amazing person at that." Blaine ducked his head as he blushed, grinning so wide he was sure his face would split in two. Kurt placed a hand against his cheek, bringing his face up so he can look him in the eye as he poured out his soul "And the one thing I want more than anything else in the world," Kurt continued, "is the courage to just say to everyone 'Yeah, Blaine Anderson is my boyfriend, and I'm the happiest person in the world, so what?' But I…I don't have that. Not yet anyway."

"It's okay," Blaine assured him, and for the first time, he really felt like he could believe his own words. "I don't care if you shout it from the rooftops or whisper it in my ear or none of those things because I know how you feel and that alone makes me so indescribably happy. I've had a crush on you for so long," Blaine admitted with a short laugh as he desperately tried to force his blush to fade through sheer willpower. Kurt laughed too, stroking Blaine's cheek with the hand still cupping his face.

"That's adorable," he cooed and Blaine couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed, not when Kurt was looking at him like that.

The moment was interrupted by an optimistic jingle coming from Kurt's pocket. He pulled out his phone, frowning at the text he just received.

"Santana," he clarified after a moment of silence. "Ugh, I have to be at Cheerio practise."

"You have to go?" Blaine asked, trying to keep himself from pouting yet failing most definitely.

"I think I just want to go home," Kurt said dejectedly, remembering the photograph in Blaine's hand and the implications it had. Blaine nodded in understanding as he began to disentangle his arms from around Kurt. "You wanna come too?" Kurt asked hesitantly. Blaine perked up at the thought.

"Really?"

"Yes!" Kurt assured him with a satisfied chuckle, "We'd have just a little more privacy than we do right now and my dad won't be home till five thirty."

"Okay, absolutely," Blaine agreed with an excited nod.

* * *

><p>Blaine stepped nervously over the threshold of the Hummel household, wiping his shoes on the mat then closing the front door behind him. He wasn't entirely sure what Kurt's plans were exactly. It was the first time he and Kurt had ever spent time alone together that didn't involve studying or sarcasm.<p>

"So…" Kurt attempted and Blaine was a little relieved that Kurt was clearly just as apprehensive as he was. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" he suggested.

"Sure!" Blaine agreed, smiling as Kurt lead him to his bedroom which Blaine was surprised to find out was in the basement.

"I used to have a room upstairs but it was really small," Kurt told him as they descended the steps, "I begged my dad for months to let me convert the basement into a bedroom. He finally agreed after I promised I'd watch football with him every Sunday. I mean all this space was just going waste anyway…" Blaine looked about the room, impressed with the decor. "Oh god, I probably sound really spoiled right now…"

"You don't, I promise," he said, taking a seat on the bed as Kurt curled up into his swing chair. "You decorated it yourself?" Blaine asked, not wanting the conversation to fall to silence. It was different when they were on the phone but he wasn't sure if it wouldn't be too awkward in person.

"Yeah."

"It's nice."

"Thanks…"

So much for things not being awkward.

"So…Sunday afternoon football with your dad? I get that. My dad seems to think that football has some magical quality that turns guys straight. I mean, I love football…probably not for the same reasons he does though," Blaine said with an attempted laugh.

"Oh, no, my dad's not…I mean he doesn't do it because he thinks it'll change me. We just…we don't have a lot in common and I guess it is nice spending time with him, even if I have no interest in the game whatsoever."

"You're lucky," Blaine commented, trying not to feel as jealous as he did. "So your parents know that you're…?" Blaine prompted, not wanting the conversation to turn to his own father.

"Yeah…my dad's pretty much okay with it. Like I said, he isn't looking to change me but it can be a little awkward around the house sometimes."

"What about your mom?" Blaine felt like he needed to ask though regretted it the instant Kurt's face fell.

"She um…she died when I was eight," Kurt stated with a grim smile. Blaine could feel his heart sink, unable to imagine what it must be like to live in a house with just his dad. His own home got pretty noisy at times with his parents and brother around, yet he knew what it was like when he was home alone. But Kurt spent his days alone _every_ day until his father was home and then it was just them. Dinner for two every night.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he assured instantly, "I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty or anything. Sometimes…Sometimes I wonder how she would have taken it, how I would have told her. But then I think that she probably already knew. I mean my dad claims to have known since I was three so…I guess she had an idea at least." Blaine nodded, unsure how to react when it seemed Kurt was having such a personal moment. Thankfully, Kurt wasn't quite as afraid as he was to break the tension.

"So!" he said loudly, shattering the all too serious mood that had fogged the room. "How about that movie?"

Kurt slipped off his swing chair crawling to his DVD case beside it. He picked a movie from the shelf, barely even looking at the selection available and tossed it on the bed beside Blaine.

"Phantom of the Opera," Blaine said after taking one look at the box. "How wonderfully apropos."

"Yeah well," Kurt replied, sitting himself on the bed with his laptop, "I think this play will always remind me of you now."

Blaine smiled as Kurt got the movie ready.

The thing with watching a movie on Kurt's laptop was that it required them to sit incredibly close together in order for them both to see. Blaine would ordinarily have no problem with this but the way his heart was pounding in his chest, he wasn't so sure if he could make it through the whole film without needing to vomit.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, noticing his discomfort. Blaine nodded shakily as Kurt pressed himself against Blaine on the bed and pressed play. Kurt was so close. He could smell his fragrance, and the crisp smell of his Cheerio uniform that comes with only the most expensive of dry cleaning bills. He was suddenly drowning in the overwhelming need to be as close to him as physically possible. To just touch him, to remind himself that he's right there next to him.

Daringly, he let his head drop to Kurt's shoulder, the two of them shifting slightly to get more comfortable until they were settled. Blaine sighed in contentment because there he was in his _boyfriend's_ bedroom, watching a movie with his _boyfriend_, leaning his head against his _boyfriend's _shoulder. It all seemed so surreal, especially when he replaced _boyfriend _with _Kurt._

Blaine was a little surprised yet more than relieved to realise that Kurt seemed to be feeling the same way. If the way his hands were trembling slightly was anything to go on at least.

Once the movie had started, however, all of the nerves seemed to evaporate. They recited lines together, having both seen it plenty of times yet still laughing at one another as they mouthed along to dialogue. Blaine was amazed at just how comfortable he was, how easy everything was in the comfort of Kurt's home. Whereas at school, they needed to be careful, everything about their interactions together was summed up by caution. Here they could just be themselves. Blaine stored away every minuscule detail about Kurt he discovered, the way he smiled with his eyes more than his mouth, the way he liked to stroke Blaine's arm affectionately as he still rested his head against Kurt.

Just as Blaine was beginning to think that this could possibly be the best day of his life, a knock sounded from upstairs. Kurt's eyes shot to the stairs at the sound.

"Ugh, I should get that," he said, pausing the movie and disentangling himself from Blaine. Blaine sat up, feeling suddenly empty without Kurt beside him, like a piece of himself was just yanked away. "I'll be right back," Kurt assured as he hurried up stairs.

Blaine waited patiently, unable to stop himself from listening in as he heard Kurt pull the front door open. He could make out a girl's voice though whose he had no idea. Kurt was talking too, he seemed a little frantic but Blaine couldn't make out what either of them were saying.

He heard the door slam shut but the voices continued. She must have come inside. Blaine could feel himself beginning to panic. The little bubble he and Kurt had created for themselves was being invaded and he knew how much it meant to Kurt that they keep their relationship a secret.

The door at the top of the basement stairs was suddenly flung open and the voices became so much clearer.

"Santana wait!" Kurt warned and Blaine felt his stomach drop to somewhere beneath the bed. He needed to hide and he needed to do it quickly. He wondered if he could make it to Kurt's closet but Santana was already coming down the stairs. He dropped to the floor and crawled under Kurt's bed, pulling his bed sheets down slightly to make sure he was out of sight.

Peeking out through the sliver of a gap, he saw Santana's sneakers come into view, probably having come straight from Cheerios practise.

"What are you doing?" Kurt protested, his socked feet appearing in front of Blaine.

"I wanna hang out! What's your problem, Sparkles?"

"You can't just walk in here! And don't call me that," Kurt demanded. Blaine could see him following Santana around the room.

"Since when?" Santana countered, sounding almost offended. "And why'd you skip out on cheerleading practise anyway?"

"I…had some things to take care of," Kurt defended himself, meekly.

"Oh really? Because watching a movie you've seen thousands of times before constitutes as important?" The bed dipped as Santana must have sat herself upon it. Kurt remained standing at the foot of the bed where Blaine watched, holding his breath as his heart pounded in his chest. "So," she said while, by the sound of it, making herself comfortable. "Did you get the picture I left for you in your locker?" She asked casually. Blaine's eyes widen as Kurt took a cautious step back.

"Y-you put that in my locker?" Kurt whispered.

"Yeah, any luck finding out who the guy is yet? He's so hot."

Blaine was almost certain that the sigh of relief he breathed was loud enough to alert Santana to his presence. He clamped a hand over his mouth, letting his eyes drift close for a moment when nothing happened. But…wait, had Santana Lopez just called him hot? That was…new.

"You mean," Kurt began, voice a clearer now, "you don't know who it is?"

"You think I'd withhold that sort of information from you? Believe me, I've been trying to find him. I wish I had a better picture of him though. Maybe he's one of Scott's friends from college! How awesome would that be?" Santana said excitedly and Blaine could tell that she was bouncing slightly on the bed above.

"Look, I appreciate the effort but, really, I don't care about finding this guy. Like I told you the other week, the phone number he gave me was wrong. He's clearly not interested so why bother?" Kurt rambled. Blaine had to wonder how much Santana and Kurt had talked about this. It seemed like Santana's sole aim was to find someone for Kurt, which, he had to admit, was kind of sweet. Except Kurt was already taken and she couldn't know.

"Fine, whatever. stay a virgin forever for all I care." She muttered as Kurt squeaked indignantly in response.

"So," she said, changing the subject, "Dakota Stanley is coming in to direct the glee club tomorrow. I can't wait to watch all those losers cry as he stomps all over their precious hopes and dreams," she laughed. Blaine clenched his fists as he tried to remain silent. He couldn't help but feel like he was betraying his friends by allowing for this to happen. But what could he do?

At least he'll know not to let this Dakota Stanley get to him, he'll just have to pick up the rest of the pieces later.

"Great," Kurt replied despondently.

"What's up with you?" Santana pressed, "You've been acting weird for like 2 weeks now. Are you really that upset about this guy giving you a wrong number?"

"I…" Kurt floundered, "No. I don't know. Maybe I'm coming down with something," he lied. Blaine could see him begin to pace the room, feet stumbling slightly against the floor. "In fact, no, yeah. I _am_ coming down with something. That's why I wasn't at Cheerio practise. You should…you should really go before you catch it." Kurt started coughing violently, which Blaine knew was faked but he had to admit, it was pretty convincing.

"Ew, you could have given me some warning, jeez," Santana said in utter disgust. "Okay, I get it, I'm going." The bed creaked as she stood and Blaine watched in relief as her feet disappeared up the stairs, the front door slamming shut moments later. Kurt was still in the room but Blaine couldn't bring himself to move.

"Blaine?" Kurt said tentatively into the empty room, unsure as to whether Blaine was even still there.

"Under here," he replied softly. Light pierced through the dark space as Kurt lifted up the sheets to find Blaine lying on his stomach, head resting on his folded arms.

"Hey," Kurt said, crawling under and letting the bed sheet fall back to place, shrouding them both in darkness. Blaine remained staring straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular but thinking about everything.

"Hey."

"Thanks for…hiding. I'm sorry you had to though."

"It's okay," Blaine said, his voice strangely pitchy as his heart rate settled back to normal. Kurt edged closer and suddenly his head was resting on Blaine's shoulder. Turning his head, Blaine was met with Kurt's lips pressing into his own and they kissed softly, sweetly, smoothly in the darkness. A moment reserved for just the two of them.

"This sucks," Kurt murmured against Blaine's lips after he pulled back a fraction.

"Kinda," Blaine agreed.

"I hate lying to my friends but I…I just don't know what else we can do," Kurt said with a weighted sigh. Blaine laughed mirthlessly. "What?"

"Your friends?" Kurt pulled back further, calculating eyes meeting Blaine's. "Your friends who are so eager to tear _my_ friends to pieces…" Blaine turned his head away, staring again at the darkened bed sheets hanging before his nose.

"Well your _friends_ were pretty quick to judge me when I joined your stupid glee club," Kurt retorted, suddenly defensive again.

"We might as well come from different worlds, Kurt."

"What are you getting at?" Kurt's voice had lost the venom, his anger short-lived, now he was just frustrated, desperate to be back to where they were before Santana had come.

"I…I don't know. I'm sorry, this is just hard," Blaine confessed.

"It's been a day, Blaine. You said you'd be okay with hiding this."

"I know and I am - mostly - but that isn't what this is about. Ugh just…forget I said anything. This isn't about who can know or our friends or _anyone_ except us. You and Me."

Kurt nods as Blaine looked towards him again before pulling him in for another kiss. Slow and careful as they both confirmed that this was really what they want. That it was worth the sacrifices they were making.

The door slammed shut again from above and the two automatically looked up, despite being underneath a bed.

"Kurt? You home?" A gruff, masculine voice called. Kurt smirked as he began to crawl out from under the bed, followed by Blaine.

"Wanna meet my dad?"


	13. Chapter 13

**I thought I had uploaded this ages ago but evidently not...oops, also hi, I'm still here! Happy New Year!**

**and it has been one year and one day since I first uploaded chapter 1, wow I'm slow**

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><p>"Hey dad!" Kurt greeted as he and Blaine stepped into the kitchen. Mr Hummel's eyes immediately fell to Blaine, brows crossing as he looked between the two boys. Blaine felt his body stiffen, suddenly wondering why on earth he had agreed to meet Kurt's dad.<p>

"Who's this?" Burt asked gruffly, taking a beer out of the fridge and uncapping it.

"He's the guy I told you about," Kurt said calmly while Blaine's heart was beating at an exponential rate. Kurt had already told his father about them? "You know, the guy who's been helping me with Chemistry?"

Blaine watched as Mr Hummel's eyes widened in understanding.

"Blaine, right?" he asked, extending a hand towards him.

"Uh...yeah," Blaine confirmed timidly, taking the hand and allowing Kurt's dad to shake it firmly.

"I appreciate you helping Kurt out. Let me tell you, I was _not_ happy about him failing."

"It's no problem at all!" Blaine assured, attempting a smile.

"Is it okay if Blaine stays for dinner?" Kurt asked, opening the fridge to pull out some ingredients, "I was going to make chicken Kievs."

"No problem," Kurt's dad agreed before retreating to the lounge, the sound of the television blaring moments later.

"Need a hand?" Blaine offered as Kurt began to prepare the meal. He smiled brightly at Blaine who stood beside him at the countertop.

"Sure," he agreed, handing him a knife and some garlic cloves, "could you crush these?" They worked in silence for a while, comfortable enough with each other and the work they were doing that it didn't feel awkward at all, much to Blaine's surprise.

"How's this?" Blaine asked a little later, handing Kurt the bowl of garlic butter he had prepared.

"Perfect! But don't expect me to kiss you goodnight after we've had these," he said playfully, voice hushed as he was aware of his father still in the next room. Blaine pouted overdramatically as he began helping Kurt slice the chicken fillets, sending them both into fits of giggles.

Eventually, dinner was served and the three sat at the table, delighted with the meal Kurt and Blaine had prepared.

"Mmmm, he can cook too," Mr Hummel said around a mouthful of food, to which Kurt quietly chastised him for. "You should invite him over more often, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes met Blaine's as they shared a quick, meaningful look. Kurt's dad had indirectly approved of Blaine which, at the very least, was a positive step in the right direction. Although no words were spoken, Blaine knew what Kurt was thinking. He knew how important his dad was to him and when they were ready to be more open about their relationship, maybe Mr Hummel would be more accepting than they had first thought.

"Today was amazing," Blaine admitted as they stood on Kurt's front porch, hidden from view. "Our first full day as an actual couple." Blaine loves the feel of the word on his tongue, the way it rolls off so naturally.

"Couple," Kurt repeated, testing the word out for himself. The smile he offered afterwards told Blaine he felt the same way.

"Wow," Blaine said and Kurt laughed.

"You really need to stop being so surprised," Kurt said with amusement, "It's way too cute."

Blaine bit his lip as he tried to contain all of his feelings from bubbling out of him and trying to comprehend the fact that everything he ever wanted was actually happening.

"Are you really not going to let me kiss you goodnight?" Blaine asked, remembering their conversation from earlier. Kurt smile teasingly.

"Maybe I'll make an exception, just this once," Kurt said with an exaggerated sigh. He leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss against Blaine's lips. It was nothing on the heated kisses they had shared before but somehow, Blaine appreciated it a whole lot more than he did those. This was sweet and caring and comfortable and playful and everything he thought kisses _should _be.

"You reek of garlic," Kurt murmured once they'd pulled apart by a few mere centimetres. Blaine gives an affronted look.

"You can talk!" he retorted, unable to keep himself from grinning. Kurt slapped his arm playfully and kissed him one last time before Blaine finally departed

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><p>The next few weeks of school passed by Blaine in what felt like rapid motion. Dakota Stanley turned out to be a much smaller threat than the Cheerios had anticipated, Mr Schue went back to directing the glee club again, some guys from the football team ended up joining glee club, an old friend of Mr Schue's decided to try high school life again, and, probably the most shocking, Quinn Fabray was pregnant! So much had happened that Blaine was struggling to keep up as he tried to figure out when exactly his school had turned into the set of a dramatic soap opera.<p>

Tensions in the glee club were higher than ever and Blaine could see how much it was crushing Rachel that Finn and Quinn were going to have a baby together.

Kurt was still keeping his distance at school and it was killing Blaine more and more every day. They still texted in between classes and at lunch but the messages from Kurt were becoming less and less frequent so as not to arouse suspicion. Blaine understood, and he knew that this was the only way they could make things work for now but it didn't mean it hurt any less.

They still sat next to each other in Chemistry as it was no secret that Blaine helped Kurt out with his work. What people didn't know was that Kurt was more or less okay with his chemistry work now. His grade was up to a B thanks to Blaine's tutorage.

Glee club rehearsals were now Blaine's favourite period at school. He could actually talk to Kurt without people asking questions. They never talked about anything in detail, just the occasional smile with a "how are you?" or "how was your day?". It was discreet enough that nobody noticed though usually Santana would sneer at him, warning him to keep his distance. Blaine couldn't bring himself to be intimidated by her anymore, however, not after what he'd heard her say about him in Kurt's bedroom. Maybe all of his time spent with Kurt was making him arrogant?

After school and on weekends, they'd spend time at each other's houses, kissing and talking and just being together. Blaine's brother had unfortunately found out about them after failing to knock before entering Blaine's room one afternoon as they lay on Blaine's bed tasting and exploring each other's mouths. After much begging, Blaine had managed to convince him not to mention it to anyone for fear of who it might get back to and Adam had eventually agreed after Blaine promised him they'd be safe, leaving him positively mortified.

Kurt still hadn't told his dad, and the longer they left it, the more worried Blaine became over what his reaction will be.

Despite the outside world, their relationship was better than ever. It was hard for Blaine to get used to the fact that Kurt actually wasn't a sarcastic bitch most of the time and the fact that he only used that persona to protect himself was a little disheartening. Still, the Kurt he was coming to know was by far the sweetest, most compassionate person he had ever met. Blaine wasn't sure how many others were granted permission to see this side of him, Kurt really did make him feel like the only person in the world who mattered.

Kurt was secretly a hopeless romantic, he treasured his collection of Broadway musical soundtracks, his favourite food was sweet peas, he never really grew out of the habit of having warm milk before bed...Blaine cherished everything he learned about his boyfriend, storing the information away for future reference.

When it came to him and Kurt, Blaine was on cloud nine. It was just the rest of the world that was a problem.

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><p>It was a few weeks later when everything fell apart.<p>

They were sitting on the sofa in Kurt's basement, lost in each other as they kissed heavily. Kurt's dad was upstairs so they were careful not to make too much noise. A tiny mewl here, a soft whimper there but mostly they were silent and overwhelmed by how much more intimate this made it. A movie played in the background on Kurt's laptop which had been left on the floor, the volume loud enough to not invoke suspicion from Kurt's dad.

They broke apart abruptly at the sound of Kurt's bedroom being opened at the top of the stairs.

"Kurt!" Burt called from above, "Santana's here!"

Kurt froze beneath Blaine as they heard Burt tell Santana to go down. He looked to Blaine pleadingly as he pulled away from Kurt. She was at the door and there was no way he could make under the bed in time like before. Kurt had better ideas as he ushered him into his closet, closing the door just as Santana came into view, leaving him in darkness.

"Hey, Kurt," she greeted casually, "you ready to go?"

"Uh...what?" Kurt replied in confusion. Blaine racked his brain, trying to remember what plans Kurt had that evening.

"The cheer rally tonight? I said I'd pick you up? How the hell did you forget?" Blaine heard her ask incredulously

"Oh my God, I can't believe I forgot, I'm so sorry," Kurt apologised. There was a scrambling about the room, which Blaine guessed was Kurt gathering his things. "Just...uh, go wait for me in the car please? I won't be a sec."

"Kurt come on, we don't have time!" Santana demanded, "Just put your uniform in a bag, you can get changed on the way.

"Right uh..._No Santana wait!_" Kurt exclaimed as the closet door was suddenly yanked open followed by a scream as Santana dumped her ice cold Frappucino over Blaine's face in shock.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in there are you a fucking stalker or what?" she bellowed, grabbing Blaine by the arm and hauling him out of the closet.

"Santana..." Kurt tried, attempting to pull Blaine away put she continued to push him around, shoving and poking him angrily while screaming obscenities in a language he didn't understand. Blaine stumbled backwards, trying to get the sticky syrup out of his eyes.

"Wait," she said, turning on her heel to face Kurt. "You knew he was there?" Santana accused.

"I - he - we were," Kurt stumbled, looking helplessly towards Blaine. His eyes softened when he realised Blaine was still covered in the remains of Santana's Frappuccino and, ignoring Santana who was still pressing him for answers, he strode to where Blaine stood fumbling with the cuffs of his soaked shirt. He lead him by the wrist to his bathroom, intending to clean him up.

"Kurt, we have to go!" Santana reminded him. The anger had softened and she had a tone of urgency in her voice. "Coach will kill us if we're late for this." She regarded Blaine caution but her focus was now primarily on Kurt. "But we are _so _discussing this later."

Kurt looked to Blaine where they stood in the doorway of his en suit. He was clearly struggling with the decision so Blaine made it for him.

"Go," he urged softly, "I'll just head home, it's okay." Santana had begun packing Kurt's sports bag with his cheerio uniform while Kurt considered.

"I do have to go but...you wash up here. You can borrow some of my clothes to change into first, okay?" Kurt suggested in a hushed tone as if Santana wouldn't be able to hear the exchange. Blaine regarded his dripping clothes, noting that he was actually shivering, unsure if it was from the cluster of ice dripping down his neck or from the shock of getting caught.

"I...okay," he said with a nod, "thanks."

"I'll see you later?" he asked nervously, unsure if he could actually believe such a simple promise. Blaine realised, with a sense of foreboding, that this could be what ends it for them. This could be it. He tried to keep his face calm as he nods in response, watching with dread as Kurt disappeared up the stairs with Santana.

Blaine sighed as he washed his face, a shiver running down his neck and spine at the cold that was beginning to sink in to his bones._ Why must they always throw iced drinks?_

He supposed he should be thankful that Santana hadn't been drinking a scalding hot coffee as that would have ended the evening in an entirely different way, most likely with a trip to the emergency room.

Blaine grimaced as he looked through Kurt's closet. A considerable amount of the Frappuccino that had missed him had made it onto his clothes. Very expensive looking clothes at that. Blaine examined some of them, recognising the brand names and some of the obscure trends from his vogue magazines. He'd never seen Kurt wear any of these, though he didn't have to wonder why. Kurt had told him about how he tried to blend into the background, how wearing these would be a death sentence for him. It was a shame, Blaine thought as he tried to imagine Kurt in some of them, smiling at the mental image.

He picked through some of those that were worst affected by the Frappuccino, taking them of their hangers and leaving them in a small pile on the floor. Kurt's bedroom doubled as the laundry room since it was so huge and since Kurt took care of the laundry for both himself and his father anyway. Blaine tossed the sticky clothes into the machine, adding some detergent and setting it to a rinse and spin. It all felt very domestic, washing Kurt's clothes for him, and Blaine desperately hoped that they still had a future together where maybe this became a part of their routine. With the glare that Santana had given him and the defeated look on Kurt's face, however, Blaine was unsure if he and Kurt would even last until the end of the week.

He changed quickly, picking something inexpensive looking and ordinary from Kurt's closet. Upstairs, he said a quick goodbye to Mr Hummel, who at this point insisted on being called Burt, and explained why Kurt had to leave so suddenly.

Blaine collapsed onto his bed as soon as he made it home, declining his mother's offer of dinner and falling asleep almost instantaneously.


End file.
